Fall 2013 APME News magazine

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If you didn’t make it to Indy for the 80th APME Conference,here’s the next best thing.

Our Fall issue of APME News is traditionally the conferencerecap, giving members a concise summary of the high points ofour annual gathering. Leaf through these glossy pages andglean some great ideas, management tips and insights generat-ed at one of our industry’s best summits.

My thanks to the journalism students and advisers from BallState University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indiana-polis and Indiana University Southeast, who formed our 2013APME Conference Reporting Team. They filed dispatches for theevent’s newspaper, which was printed by The Indianapolis Star,and our social media and blogging platforms. We are proud tofeature their work in this issue.

Our new president, Debra AdamsSimmons, was kind enough to appointme for a third term as the association’seditor. I appreciate her faith and trustin our magazine team’s work, as well asthe kindness shown me by our immediate past presidents, BradDennison and Bob Heisse.

We view APME News as a value-added component of yourmembership and participation in our organization. As always,your feedback and ideas are welcome, as well as your articles,columns or submissions. We would love to feature “how-we-did-it” reports from your newsrooms that share insight intoyour good works and pride points. Reach out to me [email protected].

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Q&A with new APME President Debra Adams SimmonsAZ Does it: The Arizona Republic’s tablet magazine is Innovator of the Year Hitting the street: The Advocate continues to tweak daily New Orleans editionAPME Conference in Pictures: An eye on the APME action in IndyRule change: AP chief Carroll praises new DOJ protections for journalistsRight to know: Indiana Gov. Pence says shield law needed more than everNot dead yet: Speaker says print can win by listening to readersChanging times: Five steps to managing today’s newsroomsTop 10: The nation’s top editors offer tips to strengthen newsroomsGreat Ideas: APME features a collection of the industry’s best and brightestAnd the winners are: 2013 APME Journalism Excellence Award winners2013 APME AP Staff Award winnersMember Showcase: APME Photo of the Year, Photos of the Month winnersIt’s a first: ASNE and APME join forces for 2014 convention in ChicagoA look back: Brad Dennison reflects on his year as APME president2014 APME Board of Directors

From the EditorAndrew Oppmann

EDITORAndrew OppmannAdjunct Professor of JournalismMiddle Tennessee State [email protected]

DESIGNERSteve [email protected]

APME News is the quarterly magazine of the Associated Press Media Editors, a professional, nonprofit organization founded in 1933 inFrench Lick, Ind. Its members include senior editors and leaders from news operations in the United States and Canada that are affiliatedwith The Associated Press, including more than 1,400 newspapers and online sites and about 2,000 broadcast outlets. The group alsoincludes college journalism educators and college student media editors. APME works with AP to support and recognize journalism excellence and the First Amendment. To learn more about APME’s programs and activities, visit apme.com.

ABOUT THE COVERAZ, the twice-weekly tablet magazine from The Arizona Republic, azcentral.com and Channel 12 (KPNX), has been honored as Innovator of the Year by the Associated Press Media Editors organization. The AZ Tablet Team (left to right): Sherry Gannon (Photo/Multimedia Editor), Penny Walker (Editor), Dave Seibert (Photo/Multimedia Editor), Kylie Gad (Assistant Editor), Tom Nichols ( Assistant Editor), Keira Nothaft (Editorial and Creative Director), Chris Ballard (Design), Adrienne Hapanowicz (Design)

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By Devan FilchakBall State University

ebra Adams Simmonsjoined The Plain Dealerin Cleveland as manag-ing editor in 2007. She

was named editor in2010. Previously, she

worked as the editor and vice presidentof news at the Akron Beacon Journal forfour years. Other stops included theDetroit Free Press and The Virginian-Pilot.

Simmons earned her bachelor of artsdegree from Syracuse University. Shesays networking and mentors have beenkeys to her success.

Q: What drew you to journalism?A: Really wanting to make a differencein the world is what drove me to thisprofession. My original plan after collegewas that I was going to take a year off totravel the world and go to law school.During that year, I was offered … anine-month internship at the localpaper in Syracuse, N.Y. I was going to dothat nine-month postgraduate intern-ship and then I was going to go to Africaand Europe. And then I was going tostart school in September. Two weeksinto my post-graduate internship, I wasoffered a full-time permanent job. Thatwas in 1986 and I'm still in the industry,all of these years later.

Q: What are some of the biggestchallenges facing APME thiscoming year?A: I think APME has a unique opportu-nity this year to innovate and collabo-rate. As you know, the industry is chang-ing dramatically and APME is an organi-zation of leaders who are trying to leadthrough a period of dynamic change. Ithink anything that we can do that helpsour members develop tools to be suc-cessful as we navigate changes would bea key calling for us. Certainly, we are cel-ebrating APME’s 80th anniversary. APMEwas founded 80 years ago in FrenchLick, Ind. And I think it is important tocelebrate the past 80 years and the workthat has come before us, as well as toplot of course for the future.

Q: What do you believe is in thefuture of print?A: Based on the readers that I hear fromevery day, I think print will continue tohave a future. I don't think print is goingaway tomorrow. There are many peoplewho continue to like words on paper. Iwould also say though, based on thefeedback I have received as we've gonethrough substantial change here inCleveland, the response is generational.Many of the readers of our contentunder 40 really prefer digital content.Many of those people say, ‘I never pick

with APME President Debra Adams Simmons

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QA"Critical to mycareer has beenhaving mentors,people both within the news-rooms where I'veworked and inother parts of thenews industry,who were thereto support meand to help direct me."Debra Adams Simmons

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up a paper. I read the e-edition of the paper. I read yourwebsite, but I'm not a paper person.’” The 40- to 70-year-old age group knows digital is where the future is moving.They don’t love it, but they have kind of resigned to the factthat this is the direction we are moving in. The 70 and overcrowd is angry. They want print; they want it every day, andthey want it to be the way it used to be. The challenge fornewspaper editors is figuring out how to navigate all of theways our audience likes to access our information. Printcontinues to be a huge part of that.

For most news organizations, print revenue continues topay the bills, even as their digital audiences are expandingexponentially. So we’re going to have to figure out how to doit all. But print is still alive and well and making a huge dif-ference in communities across America.

Q: How would you describe the importance ofsocial media in today's media environment?A: I think social media is critical in today's media environ-ment. When I think about some of the biggest stories cov-ered in my community in the past couple of years, socialmedia was in the center both in terms of newsgathering andnews dissemination. Engagement is key to the work that wedo. We need new sources talking to us, so social media is agreat way to access people and information. And we need tospread information on as many platforms as we can. Social

media enables us to do both of those things better than wehave ever been able to before.

For years, our work was a one-way conversation with ouraudience. Social media has opened up tremendous oppor-tunities to have a two-way conversation or a multiple wayconversation with the audience.

Q: What do you believe the future of paywallswill be?A: I think that the future of pay walls is undecided. Clearly,there are two schools of thought. One is that people shouldpay to access information, but we also know that youngpeople believe that information should be free. At least inmy organization, there's a hesitancy to cut information offfrom significant numbers of audience members who wantto engage with that information. I think there is a lot ofexperimentation right now, and experimentation is criticalfor our industry.

I think we will assess the results of those experimentsbefore a decision is made about what the future of pay wallswill be. I don’t think we are absolutely moving toward paywalls or we're absolutely not.

Several news organizations have dipped their toes in.Some have had tremendous success; others have backedaway. I think paywalls are one of many experiments hap-pening in the news industry. The verdict is still out on whatthe ultimate outcome will be. n

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he Associated Press Media Editorsorganization elected four mem-

bers to its board of directors andinstalled new leadership during its

annual conference in Indianapolis.Elected to at-large positions were MegDowney, managing editor of The Tennes-sean in Nashville and Thomas Koetting,deputy managing editor at the MilwaukeeJournal-Sentinel. Autumn Agar, editor ofthe Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News, waselected to represent small newspapers; andDavid Arkin, vice president of content &audience for GateHouse Media, was elect-ed to represent online media.The new APME officers are:n President, Debra Adams Simmons, editor, The PlainDealer in Cleveland;n Vice president, Alan D. Miller, managing editor/news, TheColumbus (Ohio) Dispatch;

n Secretary, Teri Hayt, executive editor ofGateHouse Ohio Newspapers in Canton,Massillon and New Philadelphia;n Journalism studies chair, Laura Sellers-Earl, digital development director for theEO Media Group in Salem, Ore.n Treasurer is Dennis Anderson, editor ofthe Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star.Simmons reappointed Andrew Oppmann,an adjunct professor of journalism atMiddle Tennessee State University inMurfreesboro, Tenn., as editor of APMENews, the association’s quarterly magazine.APME members are newsroom leaders atnewspapers and broadcast outlets, journal-

ism educators and student leaders in theUnited States and Canada.

APME works with The Associated Press to encourage jour-nalism excellence and support training and development ofjournalists in multimedia newsrooms. n

APME elects new leadership

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David ArkinAutumn Agar

Thomas KoettingMeg Downey

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By Randy CordovaThe Arizona Republic

Z, the twice-weekly tablet magazine from TheArizona Republic, azcentral.com and Channel 12

(KPNX), has been honored as Innovator of the Yearby the Associated Press Media Editors organiza-

tion.The announcement was made Oct. 30, dur-

ing the APME convention in Indianapolis. Editorial andCreative Director Keira Nothaft presented AZ to APME edi-tors at the conference.

The award recognizes innovation that “demonstrates abold, creative effort to improve a news or information prod-uct and increase audience,” according to contest rules.

AZ is an interactive magazine for tablets that containsfour chapters: Gallery, Captivate, Amuse and azcentralsports. Content includes in-depth news stories, sports fea-tures and humorous feature content. Interactive elements

help put the reader in the middle of the story.“AZ is smart, gorgeous and fun — it's the person you want

to hang out with at the party,” says Penny Walker, AZ editor.“AZ is somewhere between print and online: You can kickback with it, like a print magazine, but it incorporates thevideo and archive elements of online, as well as a level ofinteractivity that’s uniquely tablet.”

There are also special issues of AZ, such as a PhoenixSuns preview issue and the azcentral Best issue, which wasreleased Nov. 1 and was made available Nov. 6.

The publication, which launched in December 2012, is

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AZ DOES ITThe Arizona’s Republic’s ‘smart’ and ‘gorgeous’

tablet magazine receives Innovator of the Year honorAZ Tablet Team (left to right): Sherry Gannon(Photo/Multimedia Editor), Penny Walker (Editor), DaveSeibert (Photo/Multimedia Editor), Kylie Gad (AssistantEditor), Tom NIchols (Assistant Editor), Keira Nothaft(Editorial and Creative Director), Chris Ballard (Design),Adrienne Hapanowicz (Design).A



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ditors from The Arizona Republic, TheColumbus Dispatch and WLRN-Miami Heraldgave presentations about their latest efforts aspart of their finalist presentations for APME

Innovator of the Year.Meg Downey, managing editor of The Tennessean and

moderator of the presentation, said this was herfavorite session each year.

“The news organization has to be able to offer a new,creative and forward-thinking concept that has longlasting effects and attracts new audiences or dollars,”she said.

“So it can be a product, it can be a new technique ora new structure. But it must be able to show a specificgoal over a period of time, and it should have thepotential to become a industry standard over a periodof time.”

Keira Nothaft, a deputy managing editor with TheArizona Republic in Phoenix, presented AZ, a semi-weekly newsmag for iPad.

The app focuses on presenting feature stories in amore in-depth and interactive way.

Nothaft said they found a way to do what monthlyiPad magazine publications haven't done – be timelyand get readers to come back multiple times a week.

Ben Marrison, editor of The Columbus Dispatch,showed how changing the newspaper's format wasinnovative.

The organization moved from a full broadsheet to atabloid-style newspaper. Marrison said the newspaperis now easier and more convenient to read and carry.

The Dispatch also began placing ads in the middle ofthe spreads. That helps open up room for text whileforcing the readers' eyes to go across ads between sto-ries.

Kenny Malone, WLRN-Miami Herald reporter, dis-cussed how staffers at his organization started doingsomething that may sound simple – just listening.

Reporters at the radio news and newspaper partner-ship have gone out to talk with the public about what-ever is on their mind, getting the pulse of the commu-nity even when not working on a particular story.

The practice results in telling unexpected stories thattruly show the voice of the Miami area, Malone said. n

Staffers vote forInnovator of the Year

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included with Arizona Republic and azcentral.com sub-scriptions and publishes Mondays and Thursdays. Issuesare also available for individual purchase.

The app can be downloaded on an iPad atAZ.azcentral.com or by searching for "AZ Today" in the iPadapp store. An Android version soon will be available.

Other finalists for the honor included the ColumbusDispatch in Ohio, which moved from a broadsheet to atabloid; and WLRN public radio in Miami for an initiativethat involves listening to the public.

As winner, AZ will receive $1,000. n

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APME NEWSMeg Downey of The (Nashville) Tennessean, Hollis Towns of the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, KarenMagnuson of the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle, Keira Nothaft of AZCentral and NancyAndrews of The Detroit Free Press, proudly display their 2013 awards. The Tennessean won the mid-circulation category award for First Amendment. Asbury Park Press won in Public Service and the Bestin Show. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle received a Robert G. McGruder Award for DiversityLeadership. AZCentral was named Innovator of the Year, and The Detroit Free Press won for DigitalStorytelling in the large circulation category.

APME CONFERENCE IN PICTURES

BRITTANY GONZABA-BRODERICK

ABOVE: Victoria (Texas) Advocate Editor Chris Cobler listens to one of the speakers at the 2013 APME Conference in Indianapolis. LEFT: APME Directors Laura Sellers-Earl of EO Media Group in Oregonand Dennis Anderson of the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star ham it up at theAPME Foundation Auction at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.


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LEFT: AP VP andDirector of Photo-graphy Santiago Lyon discusses WhiteHouse photo accessduring the AssociatedPress Spotlight, Oct.30. BELOW: Studentsand advisers from BallState University,Indiana University,Indiana University-Purdue UniversityIndianapolis andIndiana UniversitySoutheast producedmuch of the stories,photos and socialmedia during the conference.

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ABOVE: AP VicePresident/SeniorManaging EditorMichael Oreskestalks about The

Associated Press'past year and ini-

tiatives Oct. 30.RIGHT: Andrew

Oppmann ofMiddle Tennessee

State Universityassists in the live

APME FoundationAuction at the

Indiana RoofBallroom Oct. 28.

LEFT: SummerMoore of theCanton (Ohio)Repository andincoming APMEVice PresidentAlan D. Miller ofthe Columbus(Ohio) Dispatchlook over some ofthe silent auctionitems at the APMEFoundationAuction at theIndiana RoofBallroom Oct. 28.


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By Tom LoBiancoAssociated Press

NDIANAPOLIS — Associated Press Executive EditorKathleen Carroll said she is looking forward to the startof new Obama administration protections for journal-ists after the Justice Department’s “overly broad” col-lection of AP phone records.

Justice Department officials acknowledged in thespring they seized records for 21 AP phone lines during aninvestigation into the leak of information on a foiled al-Qaida bomb plot. The revelation spurred strong criticismfrom press and civil rights groups. It also resurrected long-simmering questions of what tools journalists should use toprotect their sources and where the line is drawn in protect-ing national security interests.

“The Justice Department has agreed to amend the rulesthat we spoke about, because in many ways the protectionsthat were in those rules seemed not to have occurred in ourparticular case,” Carroll said. “We are, as an institution, gladthe rules have been changed so there will be additionaloversight when the media is involved. And we look forwardto the implementation of those new rules, which have notyet to this point occurred.”

Carroll's comments came during a panel discussion titled“Is journalism a crime?” during the 80th annual AssociatedPress Media Editors’ conference in Indianapolis.

The Obama administration has been aggressively pursu-ing people it believes have revealed government secrets,including seeking records and testimony of journalists whowere given classified information and then published sto-

ries about it.The Justice Department launched its

investigation of the AP shortly after thenews cooperative reported that U.S.intelligence had learned that al-Qaida’sYemen branch hoped to launch a spec-tacular attack using a new, nearly unde-tectable bomb aboard a U.S.-bound air-liner around the anniversary of Osamabin Laden’s death. The May 7, 2012, storyattributed details of the operation,including that the FBI had the bomb inits possession, to unnamed governmentofficials.

CIA Director John Brennan has calledthe leak “irresponsible and damaging,”

AP editor Carroll praises new DOJ protections for journalists

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�"We are, as an institution, glad the rules have been changed sothere will be additional oversight when the media is involved.Kathleen Carroll, Associated Press Executive Editor

A panel discussion titled “Is Journalism a Crime?” during the APME conference.

Kathleen Carroll, executive editor and senior vice president ofThe Associated Press, center, listens to the commentary of fellowpanelist Gary Ross, left, during a panel discussion titled “IsJournalism a Crime?” at the 80th Annual Associated Press MediaEditors’ conference in Indianapolis.

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eporters need the protection of a federal mediashield law, and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, whosponsored shield legislation while in Congress, said

he renewed his call for the protection after newssurfaced about government monitoring of Associated Pressphone calls.

“I really do believe that media shields are not about pro-tecting reporters - it is about protecting the public’s right toknow,” Pence said at the opening session of the nationalAssociated Press Media Editors conference in Indianapolis.

“The ability to keep confidential sources confidential isan essential part of the news gathering process.”

Pence said he wrote to House and Senate leaders follow-ing news that 21 telephone lines used by AP reporters andeditors were subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Pence said state shield laws already in place aren’tenough. “The First Amendment was always considered tobe sufficient (previously),” he said. “I noted over the lastdecade a disturbing pattern of cases where reporters werebeing placed in a position to reveal confidential sources,and that’s what motivated me to introduce the Free Flow ofInformation Act.”

APME represents editors from across the United Statesand Canada. The theme of this year’s conference was"Content Is King,” a reference to the industry’s efforts tomonetize its flow of text, photos, video and other contentacross platforms.

Kay Coyte, The Washington Post managing editor, said thetheme “Content is King” is about newsrooms digging deep-er and going beyond a Google search.

Coyte pointed to a series her newspaper produced aboutWashington homeowners losing their homes due to a faultytax system. The Post exposed the problem through deepinvestigation and tracked down the homeowners. The arti-cles drew strong responses and the mayor promised theproblem would be resolved.

After the series was published, Coyte said The Post did notrelent on the issue, continuing to hold people accountable.

“We challenged the elected leaders in D.C.,” Coyte said.“We kept at them, like terriers, at their heels.”

The first session of the day dealt with a particularlythorny issue for mainstream media outlets: access to sportsevents in the digital era.

John Cherwa, of the Los Angeles Times, said his newspa-per has fought to retain access to players and coaches of theLakers as the NBA team’s owners increasingly grant greateraccess to the team’s television media partners. Recently, forexample, the Lakers granted Time-Warner Cable greateraccess on a team trip to China.

Pence said local newspapers are vital to helping peoplemake informed decisions about their communities. Likepolitics, he said, "All news is local.”

Editors everywhere are adapting to new technology andwhat their audiences want. n

Mitchell Paul, Indiana University, and Anna Ortiz, BallState University, also contributed to this report.

while Attorney General Eric Holder said the story was theresult of “a very serious leak, a very grave leak.”

About a year after the story was published, the JusticeDepartment informed the AP that it had secretly obtainednearly two months of call records for 21 telephone linesused by AP reporters and editors, including some whoworked on the story.

The news cooperative protested the government's actionsas chilling to investigative journalism. AP chief executiveGary Pruitt called the records’ seizure a “massive andunprecedented intrusion” into how news organizationsgather the news.

The very scope of the Justice Department's recordsseizure was surprising, Carroll said Monday. Phone lines forreporters and editors in Washington, D.C., were gatheredalong with AP phone lines in Hartford, Conn., but so werephone records of employees' spouses, Carroll said.

“You can see where we felt this was broad, overly broad:What in the world could they hope to gain from records likeHartford, Connecticut’s?” Carroll said.

Panelists discussed a broad range of concerns outliningtensions between national security interests and the pub-lic's right to know what its government is doing.

Gary Ross, a veteran national security worker and authorof “Who Watches the Watchmen?” said it may appear theObama administration is cracking down more frequently onleaks, but changes in the digital age have raised the stakes inthat debate.

People like WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and formerCIA contractor Edward Snowden now have access to muchgreater troves of information and the rise of non-traditionalmedia outlets have broken governmental relationships thatused to be maintained by more mainstream outlets, he said.

“Where do you draw that line in protecting governmentinformation and the public's right to know?”Ross said. n

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�“I really do believe that media shields are notabout protecting reporters - it is about protectingthe public’s right to know.” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence


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By Matt Holden and Devan FilchakBall State University

ewspapers should strive for an emotionalconnection with readers to thrive in theyears ahead, according to a consultant witha national research firm.

Bill Day, executive director of Frank N.Magid Associates, Inc., spoke to editors at

the annual APME conference in Indianapolis. He said hisstudies show that 40 percent of people still read newspapersand that the industry needs to leverage what is left of circu-lation to build for the future. Day said television news issuccessful because they do a better job of listening to whatviewers want.

“The most important reason people pick ABC versus NBCversus CBS isn’t because they think they’re very good. It’snot because they need to know the weather. Yet why doviewers still watch their local television news? It’s becausethey have a strong, visceral relationship with the product.”

If newspapers did more of what readers wanted, saleswould go up. On his list of things to do:

n Provide even more depth to its news storiesn More about local activities and things to don More local coverage in the main sectionn Give them opinions they want to read“You know who people think is doing a really good job?”

asked Day. “Judge Judy. What job are consumers hiring herto do? To look in on others’ amazingly train-wrecked livesand say ‘my life’s not that bad.’” Judge Judy delivers onexpectation, Day said, and the show makes $78 millionannually.

Day says his company's studies find similar responsesacross markets. “We do this same study in market after mar-ket, and the results are amazingly consistent.”

He called on newspapers to make “data-driven” choicesabout what goes into the paper. He said newspapers oftenmake the mistake of using data derived from a small per-centage of readers, those who are the most vocal.

Day said his goal was to not only look at those who feltstrongly one way or the other about how a newspaper wasdoing, he also wanted to look at the all of the people whowere undecided in order to get a real sense of what theentire market looked like. “We don't want find people who

are excited, we want to find everyone else.”The theme of the session was to focus primarily on the

print product and how to extend its life, because Magid'sresearch showed that 40 percent of all demographics arestill reading the paper.

The consistent example used throughout was that of thesoda industry. “When people like the soda you make, youneed to tell them you have it and keep making it," said Day.

This was especially true when it came to small-marketpapers, where readers in his study said that they wanted morelocal content, such as high school and collegiate sports as wellas local lifestyle. Small-market papers have an advantagebecause of the lack of options available. Sixty-one percent ofpeople polled in small markets said that it would be a hugeloss if the paper in their area were to disappear.

Justin Rumbach, managing editor of the Dubois CountyHerald in Jasper, is also seeing this at his paper. “I think thatwe don’t see the decline nearly as rapidly as the big metropapers because we still reach a huge portion of our commu-nity with our print product.”

Day also looked at other media industries, such as televi-sion news, and their approach to marketing. “Televisionnews shows have a relentless goal of moving the needle (ofviewers) to evaluate success.”

Using this example, he said newspapers should considerevaluating reporters based on how much traffic their storiesget, and using this information to guide daily budget meet-ings.

Local research could help newspapers better understandreader interests. “We need to use predictive metrics that willhelp us understand how our readers feel about stories” wemight cover, said Day. “Just because you think it's importantdoesn't mean that it is.”

Besides editorial decision-making, analytics could also beused to help with design, distribution and advertising. Lay-out analytics can be used to guide front-page design, forexample. “People don’t read the newspaper, they scan it,”said Day. “Stories must be presented visually.”

The plight of the media is an important story, but Daysaid newspapers may have gone too far in covering theirown troubles.

“Television never tells people that their numbers aredown from the previous year,” he said. n

Not dead yet: Print can win by listening to readers, speaker says

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�“We need to use predictive metrics that will help us understandhow our readers feel about stories. Just because you think it'simportant doesn’t mean that it is.” Bill Day, Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc.


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By Alan MillerAssociated Press Media Editors

uccessfully managing change in newsrooms dur-ing this time of significant change hinges on five

points, according to Butch Ward.First, newsroom managers need to provide

clarity to middle managers and their staffs aboutexpectations and how they will support them,

said Ward, of the Poynter Institute, during a presentation atthe Associated Press Media Editors conference inIndianapolis.

Ward said they also need to invest in the ambitions oftheir staff members, coach them and provide feedback onperformance, provide tools and training, and take a riskwith staff members when appropriate.

Providing clarity is as simple as being clear about yourexpectations for the staff in covering and presenting thenews, said Ward, a former newspaper editor. Not everyonedoes that well, and the lack of clarity allows for confusionand aimlessness.

Investing in employees' goals starts with a manager ask-ing people about their dreams. “Being asked by my bosswhat I want to be and do says a lot,” Ward said. And it givesmanagers an opportunity to coach their employees andsupport them toward that goal.

Coaching, he said, involves feedback that will help endthe need for managers to put out daily fires. “Coaches knowthat if I said … ‘if we spend 10 minutes on a problem todayand never have to deal with it again,’ everyone in this roomwould do it.”

He said that coaches have their heads up as opposed todown on today's work: “They have their eyes on the arch ofa person's career and know that feedback is the mostimportant thing they have to offer,” he said.

Provide tools and training, he said, because they reinforcethe commitment to your staff members and their develop-ment.

And when it comes to taking a risk, Ward said, rememberthe boss who took a risk on you. “That boss who took a riskon you is like a hero.”

When we find someone who is really good at what theydo, he said, we tend to leave that person alone. But taking arisk with that person to help him or her grow toward a goalor into a bigger role often pays dividends for the individual

and the news organization.“It is an investment in your relationship with them that

they will never forget,” he said.Summing up, Ward said, “Remember this: You can’t do it

alone; get your team involved. You can’t do it from theweeds; you need to get above the daily production. And youcan’t do it overnight; change and relationships take time.” n

Ward offers five steps to managingnewsrooms in times of great change

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Poynter's Butch Ward said newsroom managers shouldinvest in the ambitions of their staff members and providecoaching and feedback.

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By Anna OrtizBall State University

ome of the best advice comes from the ones whodo it every day. Take a look at what the nation's

top editors, attending this year's national APMEconference, say are ways to improve your news-room.

Enhancing the story through multimedia. DannyGawlowski, photo/video editor of The Seattle Times,

says text and visuals should not compete but enhance eachother. Gawlowski pointed to how his newspaper coveredocean acidification in the Pacific Ocean using a web page totie in several story elements. His advice: Tell good storieswith good tools. Consider how you can make the experienceimmersive. Combine multimedia elements for a singleexperience.

Work with what you’ve got. Thomas Koetting,deputy managing editor at the Milwaukee Journal

Sentinel, said his newsroom has lost about half of its staff inthe last six years. Despite downsizing, the newspaper haswon three Pulitzer Prizes in that time. Pick what you do welland let go of what you don’t provide exclusively, he says.Everyone has limited resources. Pick your shots.

Have leaders who think ahead. Kay Coyte, TheWashington Post managing editor, said having an

owner who has deep pockets and out-of-the-box thinkingdoesn't hurt. But even big newsrooms need to learn how tomove more nimbly to keep up with technologyand not be distracted by fads. Be ready to useall platforms, even if you don't know what thatplatform is yet.

Be an investigative newsroom thatdigs deep. Good, old-fashioned, shoe-

leather reporting resonates with readers. Boildown the story and offer up strong analysis,advised Coyte. Dig into complex issues that areimportant to everyone.

Embrace social media. Jeni O’Malley,Associated Press Indiana news editor, said

she sees social media setting media companiesapart in breaking news. There’s a lag timebetween when a reporter leaves the scene and

the news is posted. Don’t wait. Post early and often.

Be the source of breaking news in your commu-nity. Linda Negro, Evansville Courier & Press managing

editor, says be indispensible. Break news and present it indifferent ways so readers have a choice how they consumerthe information.

Keep up with the community. Listen to what readerswant, advises Negro. She said the Evansville Courier &

Press is striving to be a community source for what's goingon in local education, events and other community news. Anewsroom can’t just break news, she says. They have to bethe pulse of the community.

Make news easy to understand. Make the news asdigestible by analyzing complex topics. The reader

should not have to read 16 inches into the story to knowwhat the story is about, Coyte said. Make it easily under-standable to the reader.

Keep coaching. Virginia Black, senior writer and writ-ing instructor of the South Bend Tribune, says many

newsrooms have cut training across the board. When thelevel of work rises in one work group, it will in others.

Encourage adaptability. Jeff Knox, director ofphotography at the Daily Herald, a newspaper in

Arlington Heights, Ill., says cross training is essential intoday's newsroom. He says writers should be trained inphotography and photographers trained in writing. n

Tips to strengthen your newsroom

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APME NEWS

great ideas2013 APME

INDIANAPOLIS CONFERENCE

ave you launched a great new feature,page or web project, or used a socialmedia tool in a great new way? Well,we want to recognize your great idea.

Associated Press Media Editors recognizes aGreat Idea every month on APME.com and we'llshowcase monthly winners in our popular annualGreat Ideas book, which was released at our

conference in October.This is a chance for your newspaper to show

off great work and to help fellow editors by pro-viding ideas that might work in their markets.

It’s simple to submit your Great Idea. Just goto the Great Ideas page at APME.com, fill outthe online form and attach an image or submit alink.

GONZAGA BASKETBALL: THE ROAD TO NO. 1The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.Geoff PinnockWHAT THEY DID: When Gonzaga University rose to the topof the NCAA men’s basketball rankings for the first time, TheSpokesman-Review led Page One with photos and scores from everygame of the season to that point. The page was a huge hit with readers,producing a near-sellout of that day’s paper. An image of the page wentviral on Facebook, and glossy reprints sold well from the company storefor weeks.

SUMMER FUN GUIDEThe Gazette, ColoradoSprings, Colo.Nathan Van DyneWHAT THEY DID: Thenewsroom’s idea of creat-ing a special guide withrecommendations from itscolumnists, staff membersand readers had successnot only as a great readbut in advertising sponsor-ship. The first year of thesection was a tremendoussuccess financially. Nowwe’re planning a Winter Fun Guide for November.

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GREAT IDEAS

COLLEGE FOOTBALLSECTIONThe Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OhioAlan MillerWHAT THEY DID: The appetite forcollege football coverage is huge inthe hometown of the Ohio StateBuckeyes. And to help feed thehungry fans, The Dispatch devel-oped a standalone, weekly CollegeFootball section in the past year torun each Sunday during the fall. TheBuckeyes will be predominant, butthe section also looks across thecollege landscape, providing sto-ries, columns, photos and statisticsfor those who can’t get enough oncollege football. It’s also a newvenue for advertisers.

PERSONAL JOURNEYSThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.Ken FoskettPersonal Journeys is a weekly narrative in SundayLiving & Arts. It features a compelling narrative arc,strong writing and arresting photography. The pieceslook and feel like a magazine article, with largecover presence spilling to one to three insidepages. Readers LOVE this feature! It’s resulted innew subscriptions, renewed subscriptions andgreat community buzz. Staff love the opportunityto stretch writing and reporting skills, and writedeeply about a subject. Most exciting addition tothe AJC in years.

FRINGE FESTIVAL REVIEWS BOOKLETWinnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, ManitobaJulie CarlWHAT THEY DID: Every year, we review all 160 or so plays at the WinnipegFringe Festival within the first four days of the festival. We post each reviewonline and make them searchable by venue, by genre and by star rating – oursand readers’. We also create pullout sections of the reviews in the daily paperto make it easier for subscribers to carry our reviews with them as they decidewhat to see. But given the monumental effort we put into this project, we want-ed to get more mileage from the content. So we repurposed the reviews intofour- to eight-page booklets, printed in full color on high-quality paper and dis-tributed 1,200 a day to various Fringe venues. This gave us extra space to selladvertising (at a lower rate than the daily paper so we could reach out to smallerbusinesses that normally can’t afford to advertise with us) and created a beauti-ful product that marketed us to non-readers. We consider theatergoers morelikely than average to be potential newspaper subscribers.

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GREAT IDEAS

CITY TRAVEL SWAPThe Seattle Times, Seattle Lynn JacksonWHAT THEY DID: We partneredwith The Oregonian on a specialproject to drive travel-ad sales. TheSeattle Times created two tabsaimed at weekend visitors toSeattle, which were inserted intoThe Oregonian; our neighborsto the south created two Portlandvisitor guides, which were insertedinto The Times. Each paper soldads into the tabs they produced.Our spring Seattle visitor’s guide ran24 pages, with seven pages ofadvertising. It included an enticingarray of stories and photos aboutdining, shopping, daytrips, eventsand more.

SPRING DINING GUIDENOLA.com, The Times-Picayne, New OrleansAnn Maloney, Jennifer EvansEach year, NOLA.com and The Times-Picayunecreates a themed dining guide for spring forprint and online. This year, we tackled cheapeats. We made certain to make the selectionsgeographically and culturally diverse. The sec-tion is always popular with readers and withadvertisers. It eats up a lot of man hours, but itis nearly evergreen copy that just keeps on giv-ing online. This year, topics included food atevery price point, dishes under $15, valuemeals and breakfasts for $5 or less.

THE FOOD ISSUEThe Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.Jill SilvaWHAT THEY DID: Our Food Issue is a once-a-year premium section that goesto all subscribers. The section captures what’s new and behind the scenes in theKansas City food community in pictures and words. Our Food Issues have wonstate and national awards.

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GREAT IDEAS

BEST OF HOLIDAYSHOPPINGThe Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Va.Kathy LuWHAT THEY DID: We launchedour first readers’ poll asking for thebest local holiday shopping advice– like who’s the best holiday catereror best place to get something foryour special guy or gal. Voting hap-pens in the fall (September to mid-October) with the issue coming outin mid-November, just in time forshopping season. The marketing/addepartments also produced fliers,cards, etc., that businesses couldaccess online and download to postat their businesses. We justlaunched our second poll thismonth.

SUMMER DARESThe Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.Sharon HoffmanWHAT THEY DID: Our department was asked to create aone-time-only special section with an upcharge, somethingwith a summer theme but ot the usual events guide. Weasked every staffer to write about Summer Dares, ways tostep out of their comfort zone and help readers break out oftheir summertime rut. One tried to hit a fastball against apitching machine. Another tried exotic ice cream flavors, likeChinese Five Spice and a Tamarindo Mexican Popsicle. Aroller-coaster-phobe took a fast ride. An artist went sky divingand then described his adventure in a two-page comic book.Inspiration for our readers and fun for the staff.

PEEPS RECIPECONTESTBaltimore Sun, BaltimoreAnne TallentWHAT THEY DID:Though there are well-known contests askingparticipants to createscenes or dioramas withPeeps, we had notseen any contest thatasked readers to actuallycook with Peeps. And wethought one was needed.Though this was the firstyear, we still gotnearly 50 entries. Weawarded winners for bestsavory, best sweet, mostcreative and bravest (win-ning entry: Peeps crabnuggets). JustBorn happily providedprize packs for ourchamps.

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APME NEWS

he Asbury Park (N.J.) Press and the VirginIslands Daily News won top awards in the

annual Associated Press Media Editors’Journalism Excellence Awards.

APME also announced the winner of its sev-enth annual Innovator of the Year award, voted

on by conference attendees.More than 30 winners were announced in the 2013 con-

test in the categories for media organizations.“We had a large number of high-quality entries in this

contest, but I find it interesting how smaller news organiza-tions like the Virgin Islands Daily News continue to competevery well in this contest every year,” said APME PresidentBrad Dennison. “Overall, we saw incredible amounts ofwatchdog and enterprise reporting, as well as news innova-tion. I find that very encouraging for our industry.”

There were 244 entries this year, including those for theseparate AP staff awards.

The Asbury Park Press was voted as the 43rd annual PublicService Best of Show for its multiplatform news coverage aswell as its online Resource Center for Superstorm Sandy.The award carries a $1,500 prize.

“With its community wrecked along with much of theNew Jersey shore by the furor ofSuperstorm Sandy, The Asbury ParkPress staff performed a public serv-ice like few others," the judgeswrote. "And it demonstrated hard-hitting investigative journalism oncauses and effects and by donatingprofits of books to the Red Cross.

“APME Public Service judges con-sidered some incredible work thisyear, but Asbury Park’s Sandy cover-age stood above the rest."

The Virgin Islands newspaper wasa winner in the under 40,000 circu-lation category for its “Our Money,Their Failure” project, whichexposed a plan by the Islands’ gov-ernor to build a $30-million sportscomplex with private partners whohad questionable backgrounds.

It was also named The Tom CurleyFirst Amendment Sweepstakes

Award winner for its project “TheBattle for V.I. Senators’ SpendingRecords,” which spotlighted howgovernment officials were using mil-lions of dollars in taxpayers' moneyto “live large.” The award carries a$1,000 prize.

“The Virgin Islands Daily Newsteam's tireless reporting set thestandard for what embodies thehighest standards of commitment toresults,” the judges said. “This scrap-py newspaper clearly overcame `sig-nificant official resistance to legalapplication of the First Amendmentor FOI laws.’ The V.I. Daily Newsdemonstrated both fluency with thelocal FOI law and tenacity in assert-ing the public's right to know underthe law."

Asbury Park, V.I. Daily News take top honors in APME competition

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APME President Debra Adams Simmons presents Hollis Towns,executive editor of the Asbury Park Press, with the PublicService Best of Show award for the paper's coverage ofSuperstorm Sandy.


J. Lowe Davis, editor at-large of the Virgin IslandsDaily News, and Gerry Yandel, the paper's execu-tive editor, accept an award at the luncheon. Thepaper received two awards, one for its coverageof a questionable sports complex project and theother for its investigation into senators' spendingof taxpayers' money.


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APME NEWS

In the Innovator contest, The Arizona Republic was votedthe winner for its AZ iPad app of an evening news magazine.It was the second year the Republic was a finalist. Theyreceived $1,000 from the contest’s sponsor GateHouseMedia Inc.

The other two finalists were WLRN-Miami Herald Newsradio and The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.

“It was exciting to choose three finalists with such differ-ent but innovative projects,” the judges said. “It shows againhow news organizations are willing to adapt and innovate tomeet of the changing needs of their audiences.”

APME also announced award winners in three otherinnovation categories as well as Digital Storytelling,International Perspective and others. Awards were present-ed during an Oct. 30 luncheon at the conference inIndianapolis.

Here are the winners:

> 43rd Annual Public Service:n Winner of Public Service Best of Show and $1,500: TheAsbury Park Press, “Superstorm Sandy”

Under 40,000 circulation:n Winner: The Virgin Islands Daily News, “Our Money, TheirFailure”n Honorable mentions: The Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Ark.,“Mayflower Oil Spill”; and The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader,“Making a Difference in the Life of Every Child”

40,000 to 149,000 circulation:n Winner: The Asbury Park Press, “Superstorm Sandy”n Honorable mention: The Columbus Dispatch, “Credit Scars”

Over 150,000 circulation:n Winner: The New York Times, “Unlocked”n Honorable mentions: The Denver Post, “Failed to Death”; andThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Side Effects”

Judges: Bob Heisse, executive editor, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.; Otis Sanford, Hardin Chair ofExcellence in Journalism, University of Memphis, Tenn.; and APManaging Editor Kristin Gazlay.

> Finalists for the Seventh Annual Innovator of the Year:n Winner: The Arizona Republic, for its AZ app of an eveningnews magazine for the iPadn WLRN-Miami Herald News radio, for its “News as a SharedExperience”n Columbus Dispatch, for its bold, new print format

Judges: Joe Hight, editor, The Gazette, Colorado Springs,Colo.; Meg Downey, managing editor, The Tennessean,Nashville; George Rodrigue, managing editor, The DallasMorning News, and Laura Kessel, managing editor, News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio.

> Second Annual Innovator of the Year Awards for Radio and TVn Winner: Cognoscenti, sponsored by WBUR in Boston, for itsplatform which takes the concept of “letters to the editor” andinfuses it with performance-enhanced perspectivesJudges: Martin Reynolds, senior editor- community engage-ment, Bay Area News Group, Oakland, Calif.; Elbert Tucker,director of News, WBNS-10TV, Columbus, Ohio; and GregPeppers, AP executive producer, domestic video.

> Second Annual Innovator of the Year Award for College Studentsn Winner: “Campus Lifeline: AReport on College Suicide,” a proj-ect of the School of Journalism andMass Communication at Kent StateUniversity. The special projectexamined suicide, the second-lead-ing cause of death among collegestudents.

Judges: Chris Cobler, editor,Victoria (Texas) Advocate; AngieMuhs, executive editor/Interactive,Portland (Maine) Press Herald; andMartin Reynolds, senior editor-community engagement, Bay AreaNews Group, Oakland, Calif.

> Fourth Annual GannettFoundation Award forInnovation in WatchdogJournalismWinners in the Fourth AnnualGannett Foundation Award forInnovation in Watchdog Journalism.Each will receive $2,500 in prize money: 75,000 and below winner:n The Journal News, White Plains, N.Y., “District in Crisis”

Above 75,000 winner:n The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, “Battle Lines: Gangs of Toledo”

Judges: Alan Miller, managing editor, The Columbus Dispatch;Jim Simon, assistant managing editor, The Seattle Times; DebraAdams Simmons, editor, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; BradDennison, president/large daily division, GateHouse Media Inc.;and Kurt Franck, executive editor, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio.

> 43rd Annual First AmendmentAward and CitationsThe Tom Curley First Amendment Sweepstakes Award. Thewinner will receive $1,000 in prize money.n Winner: The Virgin Islands Daily News, “The Battle for V.I.Senators’ Spending Records”

Over 150,000:n Winner: The Wall Street Journal, “Watched”

40,000-149,999:n Winner: The Tennessean, Nashville, “Department of Children’s

Kent State University student Jessica Whiteaccepts the Innovator ofthe Year Award forCollege Students,"Campus Lifeline: AReport on CollegeSuicide."



Services Special Report”n Honorable mention: The Commercial Appeal, Memphis,Tenn., “Ernest Withers' Secret”

40,000-under:n Winner: The Virgin Islands Daily News, "The Battle for V.I.Senators' Spending Records."

Judges: Teri Hayt, executive editor, GateHouse Media Ohio,Canton Repository; AP Senior Managing Editor Mike Oreskes;Andrew Oppmann, adjunct professor of journalism, MiddleTennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Mark Baldwin,executive editor, Rockford (Ill.) Register Star; Bill Church, execu-tive editor, Herald-Tribune Media Group, Sarasota, Fla.; BobHeisse, executive editor, The State Journal-Register, Springfield,Ill.; and AP corporate counsel Vikram Bhagat.

> Digital Storytelling Awards (previously DigitalStorytelling and Reporting Awards)Over 150,000:n Winner: The Detroit Free Press, for its examination of thedefunct Packard Plant, “now home to graffiti artists, illegaldumpers, scrappers, urban explorers and thieves who rob andmug them, arsonists, firefighters who risk their lives and cameracrews from around the world”n Honorable mention: The Seattle Times, “Glamour Beasts” n Honorable mention: The Boston Globe, “68 Blocks: Life,Death, Hope”

40,000 to 149,999:n Winner: The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn., for its digi-tal narrative telling the dramatic story of Martin Luther King Jr.’slast hours before his assassination. n Honorable mention: The Roanoke (Va.) Times, “The DamageDone: How heroin claimed one young life and devastatedanother” n Honorable mention: The Tennessean, Nashville, “Abortion inTennessee”

Less Than 40,000:n Winner: Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier, for its coverageof two missing girls and the long, tragic search that followed. n Honorable mention: Press & Sun Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y.,“The Face of Courage”

Judges: Laura Sellers-Earl, digital development director, EOMedia Group, Astoria, Ore.; Monica Richardson, managing edi-tor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Alan English, publish-er, Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Ark.

> International Perspective AwardsOver 150,000:n Winner: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “Paper Cuts,” JohnSchmid and Mike De Sisti

40,000 to 149,999:n Winner: Omaha World-Herald, “China Connection,” PaulGoodsell and Matt Miller

Under 40,000:n Winner: Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D., “South Dakota toSouth Sudan,” Steve Young

Judges: Jim Simon, assistant managing editor, The SeattleTimes; Gary Graham, editor, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane,Wash.; AP Senior Vice President John Daniszewski; and JackLail, director of digital, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel n


FA L L 2 0 1 3 y A P M E N E W S 21

APME NEWS

APME President Debra Adams Simmons presents Meg Downey,managing editor of The Tennessean, with a First AmendmentAward for its special report on the state's Department ofChildrens Services.

overage of Superstorm Sandy and terrorism inAfrica won awards for deadline, enterprise andstate reporting from the Associated Press MediaEditors association for journalism excellence by AP

staffers.“AP’s New York and New Jersey staffs' coverage of the 800-

mile-wide mashup called Sandy was, in a word, exception-al,” the APME judges said in awarding the DeadlineReporting prize to the team that covered the storm. Theysaid that under the worst of conditions, including their per-sonal storm woes and risks, the staff provided up-to-the

minute, authoritative coverage that was “nothing short ofstellar.”

They described the coverage as “wire service reporting atits best – quickly updated, well-written, compelling andcomprehensive.”

The New York and New Jersey staffs also were awardedthe Charles Rowe Award for distinguished state reporting forthe Sandy coverage.

In honoring West Africa bureau chief Rukmini Callimachifor Enterprise Reporting for her pieces on terrorism, the

2013 APME AP Staff Awards announced


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judges said the stories were “fascinating,horrific and well-told.”

Callimachi's work included a story inDecember 2012 describing how al-Qaidawas carving out its own country in Mali; amonth later, France sent its military to routIslamic extremists from the northern partof the country.

Callimachi went to Timbuktu, where shefound documents left behind when al-Qaida fled the storied city ahead of advanc-ing French and Malian troops. They includ-ed a letter from al-Qaida reprimanding thealleged mastermind of the deadly hostage-taking at an Algeria gas plant and a mani-festo detailing al-Qaida’s plan to conquernorthern Mali. Callimachi also wrote “Lovein the Time of Shariah,” the story of awoman who was flogged by Islamic militants for her rela-tionship with a married man.

The judges said Callimachi “showed much bravery, enter-prise and knowledge in uncovering these stories.” Theydescribed her work as “courageous pursuit of news underextreme conditions; an important voice that many morenews outlets need to reflect. Her reporting reminds us whythe AP matters so much in this profession.”

Photographer Charles Krupa, based in Boston, won theNews Single Photo award for his image from the BostonMarathon bombing of medical workers running an injuredman past the finish line in a wheelchair.

“This dramatic image of the Boston Marathon bombingaftermath is the iconic image for that event,” the judgessaid. “For the photographer to have the com-posure to capture this amid the chaos isincredible.”

Cairo photographer Khalil Hamra won theNews Story Photo award for his series on thefighting in Syria, which the judges describedas “raw, detailed and insightful” images.

Photographer David Goldman of Atlantawon the Feature Single Photo award for hisimage of a retired Marine teaching a youngBoy Scout the proper salute at a veteran’sgrave. “It's a compelling and poignant photo,”the judges said.

Altaf Qadri, a photographer based in NewDelhi, won the Feature Story Photo award forhis series on a makeshift school for slum chil-dren under a New Delhi bridge. “As a result ofthis photo story, readers were inspired to givedonations that resulted in improvements to

the school,” the judges said.India bureau chief Ravi Nessman and Kristen Gelineau,

bureau chief for Australia, won the Feature Writing awardfor “The Longest Journey,” the story of a young man's questto find his mother after they were separated decades earlierin India and he was adopted by a family in Australia. Thejudges said the story, based on reporting from two conti-nents, read like a novel.

“The writers avoid a clichéd fairy-tale ending and insteadtell a story of loss, hope, an improbable reunion and theharsh reality of two lives changed forever," they said.

Interactive producers Nathan Griffiths, Peter Santilli andPeter Hamlin, all of New York, were cited for Best Use ofMultimedia for leading the Interactive Department in its

work on the AP's coverage of the selection ofthe new pope at the Vatican. The package wasdescribed by the judges as "deep, rich andfact-laden," providing a picture of a pope whowas relatively unknown to readers.

A video series on last year's devastatingdrought in the Midwest was cited for the BestUse of Video. The series was produced by theteam of John Mone, a video journalist basedin Dallas, former AP video journalist RobertRay, Omaha-based photographer Nati Harnikand former Washington video producer NicoleGrether. The judges described the series as"show-and-tell journalism at its best. Thevideo documented the heart-breaking effectsof the lack of water."

Hannah Dreier was awarded the John L.Dougherty prize for exemplary work by an AP

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APME NEWS


Santiago Lyon (right), AP’s director of photography, interviews Boston photographer Charles Krupa (left) about his award-winning image from the Boston Marathon bombing during the AP News Presentation.

Hannah Dreier was awardedthe John L. Dougherty prizefor exemplary work by anAP staff member who is 30years old or younger. >> Continued on next page


staff member who is 30 years old or younger.The judges said her work in California'sSacramento bureau "holds government andour leaders accountable, challenging them."They cited her stories analyzing public recordson legislators' frequent vote changes after theoutcome was certain and the use of funds froma special license plate for 9/11 victims thatwent instead to shore up the state budget.Dreier is now a newswoman in Las Vegas.

The judges also awarded the following hon-orable mentions:

> Deadline reportingThe Wisconsin staff for coverage of the Sikh tem-ple shooting and the Colorado staff for coverageof the Aurora theater shootings.

> Enterprise reportingThe Syrian civil war by Cairo bureau chief HamzaHendawi, former Beirut staffer Ben Hubbard,Chief Palestinian correspondent Karin Laub, Caironewsman Steve Negus and Amman, Jordan, cor-respondent Jamal Halaby; China’s reach, a seriesanalyzing China's global reach by Beijing businesswriter Joe McDonald, Seoul newswomanYoukyung Lee, former Beijing bureau chiefCharles Hutzler, Canberra, Australia, newsmanRod McGuirk, Paris newswoman Sarah Dilorenzo,Wellington, New Zealand, newsman Nick Perry,Bangkok newsman Denis Gray, and Tokyo business writerElaine Kurtenbach; and California license plates by HannahDreier and Juliet Williams, of the Sacramento bureau, aboutdiverting funds from a special license plate for 9/11 victims tohelp the state's budget.

> Feature writing• Chicago-based National Writer Sharon Cohen for “The ManWho Saved Many,” the story of an Army captain who helpedmany with trauma in Iraq but couldn't save himself at home.• Best Use of Multimedia: Nick Harbaugh and Phil Holm, basedin New York, for the civil war in Syria.• Charles Rowe Award: Hannah Dreier and Juliet Williams forCalifornia legislative vote-switching.• News Single Photo: Sue Ogrocki, based in Oklahoma City,tornadoes in Moore, Okla.• News Series Photo: Bernat Armanque, based in Jerusalem,the conflict in Gaza.• Feature Single Photo: Emilio Morenatti, based in Barcelona,Spain, a nun reacting to white smoke from the Vatican signalinga new pope. • Feature Series Photo: Bebeto Matthews, based in New York,for “Sandy Claus,” a series chronicling a man who started acharitable enterprise to collect and deliver toys to childrenaffected by Superstorm Sandy.

APME is an association of editors at newspapers, broadcastoutlets and journalism educators and students leaders in the

United States and Canada. It works closely with the AP to fos-ter journalism excellence.

Judges were Michael Days, editor, Philadelphia Daily News; KurtFranck, executive editor, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio; MarkBaldwin, executive editor, Rockford (Ill.) Register Star; DebraAdams Simmons, editor, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; AngieMuhs, executive editor/Interactive, Portland (Maine) PressHerald; Laura Sellers-Earl, digital development director, EOMedia Group, Astoria, Ore.; Jan Touney, executive editor, Quad-City Times, Davenport, Iowa; Monica Richardson, managingeditor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Bill Church, executiveeditor, Herald-Tribune Media Group, Sarasota, Fla.; AmindaMarques Gonzalez, executive editor, The Miami Herald; DennisAnderson, executive editor, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star; LauraKessel, managing editor, News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio; JackLail, director of digital, Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel; J.B.Bittner, managing editor, The Elk City Daily News, Vici, Okla.;Gary Graham, editor, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.;Elbert Tucker, director of news, WBNS-10TV, Columbus, Ohio;Greg Peppers, AP executive producer, domestic video; andChris Cobler, editor, Victoria (Texas) Advocate.

Judges for the photo awards were Jeff Knox, director of pho-tography, Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill.; Bob Heisse, exec-utive editor, The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.; DebraAdams Simmons, editor, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer; and AlanMiller, managing editor, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch. n

FA L L 2 0 1 3 y A P M E N E W S 23

APME NEWS


James Martinez, AP’s New York state editor, receives an award from APMEPresident Debra Adams Simmons. Martinez accepted awards for DeadlineReporting and the Charles Rowe Award for distinguished state reporting forthe AP’s New York and New Jersey staffs’ coverage of Superstorm Sandy.



FA L L 2 0 1 3 y A P M E N E W S 25

APME NEWSAPME recognizes contributions to the APphoto report through the Showcase Photoof the Month Award. The competition isjudged by AP and member photo editors.The monthly winners are displayed at theannual conference and a Showcase Photoof the Year Award is presented.showcase

member

AP Photo/The Boston GlobeJohn TlumackiBill Iffrig, 78, lies on theground as police officersreact to a second explosionat the finish line of theBoston Marathon inBoston, Monday, April 15,2013. Iffrig, of LakeStevens, Wash., was run-ning his third BostonMarathon and near the fin-ish line when he wasknocked down by one oftwo bomb blasts.

APME PHOTO OF THE YEAR

MAYAP Photo/The News-ReviewMichael SullivanA firefighter works on a mop-up detail at the 206-acre ShivelyCreek Fire 11 miles southeast of Canyonville, Ore.

JUNEAP Photo/Las Vegas Review-JournalJohn LocherFireworks explode over the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dur-ing the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.


member showcase

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APME NEWS

JULYAP Photo/Kitsap SunMeegan M. ReidA bald eagle looks out overthe Strait of Juan de Fucaat the Salt CreekRecreation Area in PortAngeles, Wash.

AUGUSTAP Photo/Naples Daily NewsScott McIntyreSimon Charry drives to thebasket during a pick-upgame of basketball with hisclassmates from NaplesHigh School atFleischmann Park onTuesday Aug. 27, 2013, inNaples, Fla. The group triesto play after school asmuch as they can depend-ing on the weather.


FA L L 2 0 1 3 y A P M E N E W S 27

APME NEWS

or the first time, the two premier news leader-ship organizations in North America are join-

ing forces to present a joint convention.The American Society of News Editors and the

Associated Press Media Editors have reached anagreement that will bring the two influential groups

together on Sept. 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. Ajoint convention has been discussed for years, but has nevermaterialized until now.

“In this day and age it just makes sense to hold one terrif-ic conference for leaders of news organizations,” said ASNEpresident David Boardman, dean of the School of Mediaand Communication at Temple University and former exec-utive editor of the Seattle Times. “We’ve always had greatconventions. This will be bigger, better and smarter thanever.”

ASNE and APME members include senior editors of newsorganizations, deans and journalism educators, members ofjournalism foundations and news executives.

“I’m thrilled the stars finally aligned to make this hap-pen,” said APME Past President Brad Dennison, who is pres-ident of GateHouse Media’s Large Daily newspaper division.“The list of great news minds working on programming, thecost synergies, the drawing power for both audience andhigh-profile speakers – it’s an exciting proposition.”

Associated Press Senior Managing Editor Mike Oreskessaid, “This is a time of great challenge for journalism, so it isheartening to see these two important organizations of

journalists standing shoulder to shoulder to discuss andaddress those challenges.” Oreskes is on the boards of bothorganizations.

Joint ASNE-APME committees are already meeting toplan various aspects of the 2014 conference, including pro-gramming and fundraising.

ASNE and APME have similar priorities.APME works closely with The Associated Press to foster

journalism excellence and to support a national network forthe training and development of editors who run multime-dia newsrooms.

APME is a vocal presence in setting ethical and journalis-tic standards for newspapers, as well as in freedom of infor-mation and First Amendment issues.

ASNE’s priorities are to advance the cause of quality, inde-pendent professional journalism. Founded in 1922 to“defend the profession from unjust assault,” ASNE is prima-rily an organization of newsroom leaders in the UnitedStates.

It focuses on issues related to the First Amendment,diversity, leadership and innovation, ethics and credibility,and media literacy.

In addition to ASNE and APME, the Associated Press PhotoManagers will be involved in the effort. APME and APPM tra-ditionally have their annual conferences together. n

For more information, contact APME Executive DirectorSally Jacobsen at [email protected] or visit our website,APME.com

It’s a first: ASNE and APME are joining forces for 2014 convention

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�“The list of great news minds working on programming, the cost synergies, the drawing power for both audience and high-profilespeakers – it’s an exciting proposition.” Brad Dennison, APME past president


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By Hannah AshIU Southeast

utgoing APME President Brad Dennison hashad a sharp focus on journalism since hisfreshman year at college, said Jim St. Clair,retired IU Southeast journalism professor.

St. Clair said he remembers the first con-versation he ever had with Dennison.

Dennison was a freshman at the time, and St. Clair was theprofessor of his journalism class.

“It was obvious he had a focus on what he wanted to do,”St. Clair explained.

As 2013’s president, Dennison has maintained that focusthroughout his career and in his position as APME presi-dent. As outgoing president, Dennison said he is proud ofthe organization’s accomplishments in the past year. Heemphasized the accomplishments of the group as a wholeinstead of focusing solely on his own contributions.

“AMPE is a big group of volunteers,” he said. “It takes afull, active board.”

Dennison said NewsTrain, a touring workshop that trainsjournalists in their own cities, is a point of pride for theAPME and for him. This year marks the program’s 10thanniversary. “It’s so rare for a program to work that long,”he said. He said programs like APME’s NewsTrain are a vitalpart of keeping up with advances in the industry. Trainingjournalists is an important function of the APME.

St. Clair explained that training in the industry is moreimportant than ever because of the changing nature ofdevelopment. “It is important to share ideas and learn fromothers.”

Dennison also said that staying up-to-date with techno-logical advances is one of the greatest challenges the jour-nalism industry faces. However, he said the APME contin-ues to offer cutting-edge training. “We’ve been able to stayrelevant when being relevant is hard to do.”

When tablets first became popular, professionals in theindustry were unsure how to handle them, Dennison said.Now, journalists have embraced the use of tablets as amedia platform. “We are now much more coordinated asan industry,” Dennison explained. He said remaining fluidin a time of great technological advancement is important.

“You don’t know what’s next,” he said. “As long as it’s anavailable platform, it’s something we need to focus on.”

Dennison said another recent APME accomplishment is

the planning of a joint 2014 APME/ASNE conference inChicago. The conference will mark the first time the twoorganizations will combine conventions. The AssociatedPress Photo Managers also will be involved in the confer-ence.

The APME is on solid ground for the future, Dennisonsaid. With plans for continued training and education pro-grams and the joint conference in the works, the APME willcontinue to foster the exchange of ideas and promote thegoals of the industry.

Dennison said he has seen many changes during hisinvolvement in the industry, but the basic functions of theAPME have remained the same. For instance, Dennison saidthe organization still handles a variety of First Amendmentissues. "We are as relentless as ever,” he explained. He saidjournalists will always face First Amendment and accessissues, and the APME will continue to serve as a watchdog.

Dennison has spent his entire career in the journalismindustry. “I’ve done just about everything you can do innews,” he explained. “I even spent some time in sales.”

Dennison is currently GateHouse, Inc.’s vice president ofpublishing for the large daily division. After graduating fromIU Southeast, he began his career at the News and Tribunein New Albany, Ind. where he worked as a general assign-ment reporter. After that, he advanced to an editor positionfor a newspaper in Jeffersonville, Ind.

Then, Dennison moved to Augusta, Ga., where he was acity editor. He also later worked for newspapers on thesouth side of Chicago. Dennison also did consulting work.Later, Dennison got a position as vice president of news forCommunity News Holdings, Inc. He later took a vice presi-dent of news position at Gatehouse.

St. Clair said he has followed Dennison’s career advance-ment over the years and is proud of his progression in theindustry. A student’s success is the best way to pay tribute toa teacher, St. Clair said. He said he is proud of Dennison’ssuccess and advancement.

Dennison said he enjoyed every position he has held inthe industry. “It all naturally led to where I am now,” heexplained. Dennison said the process of his advancementhas helped him understand how everything works together.He said although he is currently on the corporate side,understanding the news side of situations is beneficial.

“Where I am today is my favorite place to be,” Dennisonsaid. n

A look back: Dennison reflects on year as APME president

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APME wants to mug you.Give $80 this holiday season to support APME in its

80th year, and we’ll send you one of these stylish mugs.Tax-deductible donations to the APME Foundation

assist newsroom leaders by providing training and ideas,protecting First Amendment rights, safeguarding Freedomof Information and fostering innovation and watchdogjournalism.

Another way to help: Become a NewsTrain Ambassadorwith a donation of $100 or more. The low-cost, high-impact NewsTrain traveling short-course program is 10

years old and remains wildly popular.The ’Train will make four stops in2014. And consider joining APME orrenewing your membership headinginto a momentous year that includesan unprecedented joint conferencewith the American Society of NewsEditors Sept. 15-17 in Chicago.

Or become a lifetime member and never pay a mem-bership fee again! Members receive discounts on APMEJournalism Excellence Contest fees and annual confer-ence registration, which more than pays for your mem-bership. Do it all at www.apme.com. n

eteran journalist Michael Roberts was honoredby the Associated Press Media Editors for his lead-

ership with APME’s signature program, NewsTrain.Roberts, who received the APME President’s

Award, has been involved with NewsTrain from its inceptionin 2003. After starting as a featured speaker for the low-cost,national traveling journalism workshop, he became a crowdfavorite and remained a staple of the program. Robertsbecame the program’s director in 2011.

“We are indebted to Michael for his service and dedica-tion to NewsTrain,” said APME Past President BradDennison.

“He’s passionate about the program and protective of itsquality, and we’re fortunate to have him. It’s time to say‘thank you’ in a public way.”

The President’s Awards are given at the discretion of theorganization’s president, and this recognition comes asNewsTrain celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Robertsreceived the award during the 80th APME conference,which was held in Indianapolis.

Roberts is overseeing four NewsTrain workshops in 2013 –Springfield, Ill.; New York; Colorado Springs and Seattle.

Sponsors of NewsTrain 2013 include The Associated Press,the APME Foundation, the Ethics & Excellence in Journal-ism Foundation, the Gannett Foundation, the ScrippsHoward Foundation, GateHouse Media Inc., Medicare NewsGroup, Athlon Sports, and The World Company.

Outside of his work with NewsTrain, Roberts is a news-room trainer and consultant who works with news organi-zations in the United States and Canada.

He was deputy managing editor of staff development atThe Arizona Republic from 2003 to 2010, where he wasresponsible for all newsroom training, served as writingcoach and edited major projects. Previously, Roberts

designed and taught the American Press Institute's firstonline seminar for copy editors, and has presented pro-grams for the Poynter Institute, American Press Institute,the Maynard Institute, Freedom Forum and variousNational Writers Workshops.

Before the Republic, Roberts was a senior editor, includ-ing 10 years as training editor/writing coach at TheCincinnati Enquirer. He has also held writing and editingpositions at the Midland (Mich.) Daily News and the DetroitFree Press, and worked as an editor at two magazines. He isa graduate of the University of Michigan and holds a mas-ter’s degree in training and human resource developmentfrom Xavier University in Cincinnati. n

Roberts receives 2013 APME President’s Award

Bob Heisse (left), former APME president, presents the APMEPresident's Award to veteran editor Michael Roberts for hisleadership of NewsTrain, APME's signature training program.

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Officersn President: Debra Adams Simmons, The Plain Dealer,Clevelandn Vice President: Alan D. Miller, The Columbus (Ohio)Dispatchn Secretary: Teri Hayt, The (Canton, Ohio) Repositoryn Journalism Studies Chair: Laura Sellers-Earl, EOMedia Group., Salem, Ore. n Treasurer: Dennis Anderson, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star

Executive Committee(officers above plus)n Past President: Brad Dennison, GateHouse Media,Fairport, N.Y. n AP Senior Vice President/Executive Editor: KathleenCarroll, New Yorkn AP Vice President/Senior Managing Editor: MikeOreskes, New Yorkn Conference Program: Bill Church, Herald-TribuneMedia Group, Sarasota, Fla.; Jim Simon, Seattle Times

APME News Editorn Andrew Oppmann, Middle Tennessee State University

Directors

(Terms expiring in 2014)n Bill Church, Herald-Tribune Media Group, Sarasota, Fla.n Michael Days, Philadelphia Daily Newsn Alan English, The Times, Shreveport, La.n Kurt Franck, The Blade, Toledo, Ohion Gary Graham, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.n Joe Hight, The Gazette, Colorado Springsn Eric Ludgood, Fox 5 News, Atlantan Aminda Marques Gonzalez, Miami Heraldn Martin G. Reynolds, The Oakland Tribunen Monica R. Richardson, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

(Terms expiring in 2015)n Dennis Anderson, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Starn Mark Baldwin, Rockford (Ill.) Register Starn Chris Cobler, Victoria (Texas) Advocaten Angie Muhs, Portland (Maine) Press Heraldn Jim Simon, The Seattle Times

(Terms expiring in 2016)n David Arkin, GateHouse Media n Autumn Agar, The Twin Falls Times-News, Twin Falls, Idahon Meg Downey, The Tennessean, Nashvillen Thomas Koetting, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

APME BOARDOF DIRECTORS2014

Our communication vehiclesn apme.comn http://www.facebook.com/APMEnewsn https://twitter.com/APMEn http://apmeblog.blogspot.com/n http://www.facebook.com/NewsTrainn https://twitter.com/NewsTrain and, APME Update:n http://www.apme.com/?page=Newsletters



Documents

Fall 2013 APME News magazine