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NEWS: Columnist, free-press advocate to lead talk about new roles for libraries, journalists

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Famed columnist and free-press advocate John Nichols will lead a public discussion about new roles for libraries during a Thursday, April 7 evening symposium at the Cambridge Public Library, beginning at 7 p.m.

The free, public event will wrap up a two-day inquiry, "Beyond Books: News, Literacy and Democracy in America's libraries," involving more 130 librarians, journalists and scholars gathered at the MIT Center for Future Civic Media. (www.biblionews.org )

Besides speaking himself, Nichols will convene a discussion of the best ideas emerging from the MIT-hosted gathering. The evening will include a chance for the public to sit in breakouts with "Beyond Books" participants to add their thoughts.

"For three centuries, in American communities, two institutions have uniquely amrked a commitment to participatory democracy, knowledge and open inquiry -- our libraries and our free press," says Bill Densmore, co-convenor of the MIT event and director of the New England News Forum. "How can they work together?"

Nichols, who is based in Madison, Wis., but is also Washington correspondent for The Nation magazine, will put the role of libraries in the context of what's happening to the flow of information on the web, and how that affects citizen participation, whether in Egypt, Iran, Libya or the Wisconsin state capitol.

Nichols is in Boston to co-host the National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), a project of FreePress.net, a non-profit he co-founded. The NCMR is expected to draw thousands of people to South Boston on April 8-10 for dozens of breakout sessions and plenaries. See: http://conference.freepress.net  for more.

"In cities and towns across the nation access to information is becoming more complicated, and more technical," says Densmore. "At the same time, local news coverage is often more limited, or at least more fractured. Librarians may be able to help the public, help journalists, and help citizens who want to assume a watchdog role abandoned by journalism."

Densmore said the evening will be intentionally interactive among Nichols, the "Beyond Books" MIT participants, and the public. He said the evening should end with additional ideas for journalist-librarian collaboration.

Some questions being asked at the MIT gathering: What does engagement mean to journalists and librarians, and when does engagement become partisanship? What might libraries do to facilitate community social news networks? Must free speech be absolute within a tax-payer supported institution? How can libraries advocate for a free, digital-information commons?

CALENDAR LISTING:

Public Discussion: "BEYOND BOOKS: News, literacy, democracy and America's Libraries -- Assessing the common mission of journalists and librarians." April 7, 2011, 7-9 p.m., Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, Mass. Admission free. Info: http://www.biblionews.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bill Densmore, director
The New England News Forum
108 Bartlett Hall / Univ. of Massachusetts
Amherst MA 01003
OFF: 413-577-4370 / CELL: 413-458-8001
http://www.newenglandnews.org
bdensmore@newenglandnews.org

In Brattleboro, what about a town loan program helping a monthly paper to go weekly?

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- There's a novel approach to sustaining journalism being tried in Brattleboro, Vt. (pop. 12,000), which provides an example of one form of public subsidy for journalism. What do you think?

Brattleboro's daily is owned by MediaNews Group, the Denver, Colo.-based group which just emerged from a quick-fix bankruptcy-court filing. Brattleboro is also the home of iBrattleboro.com, of of the earliest examples of a local online news community, iBrattleboro, begun Feb. 20, 2003.

Also back in 2005, a group of Brattleboro-area citizens started publishing a monthly, tabloid called the Brattleboro Commons. Initially distinctly unjournalistic, it has progressed under a new editor, Jeff Potter, to the point where the owners -- now organized as a non-profit corporation -- are going to weekly publication in June.

ORIGINAL LAUNCH IN 2005: http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php/20050503130306488

The Commons applied under a community-development program to the town for a $25,000 loan, at 3-percent interest, to help finance the move from monthly to weekly publication. At a May 3 meeting of the town's selectmen, the grant application was approved.
iBrattleboro noted the decision here:
http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php?story=20100504231125955&query=commons

The daily, The Reformer, also covered it as one short item buried in a May 5 account of the board's meeting, leading with another issue. Here's all it said:

"Vermont Independent Media, which operates The Commons, Brattleboro's alternative monthly newspaper, received a $25,000 loan from the town's Small Business Assistance Program. Jeff Potter, editor, said the loan would be used to ease the paper's transition from a monthly to a weekly publication. 'We have seen a period of rapid growth in both circulation and advertising,' said Potter.

The changeover will also include daily Web site updates, he said. The loan would be 'a win-win for the newspaper and the community as well,' he said, because it would help The Commons to make the most 'of everything that a true independent newspaper in the area could be.' The interest rate on the loan is 3 percent. The program is funded through interest payments made by those who receive a loan."

Finally, on May 26, Vermont Public Radio weighed in with about a two-minute audio report, also printed on it's website, by reporter Susan Keese, which at least asked the question of whether public funding of a news organization was appropriate. No problem, said one selectman.
BELOW FROM:
http://vpr.net/news_detail/88122/

EXCERPT:
"Jeff Potter is the paper's executive editor. He says The Commons represents a new, non-profit model that could help newspapers emerge from the economic struggle that many have faced in recent years.

(Potter) 'And I think more philosophically a model that really embraces the concept that newspapers should be: more of a public utility and less of a commercial enterprise.'

(Keese) Potter says there's no pressure to make a profit, and that frees reporters to take the time to dig more deeply into local stories and local people that might not otherwise make the news. It also allows the paper's editorial staff to work with people who may never have written a story before, but who have a story they want to tell.

(Potter) 'And that's what a true community newspaper can do, is to chronicle what matters to people. Particularly in some of the small towns that are beyond the reach and scope of the daily that covers the area.'

(Keese) Potter says the $25,000 loan the paper has received from the town of Brattleboro is part of a revolving loan fund that's available to businesses throughout town.

Brattleboro Select Board Chairman Dick DeGray says the loan will not make The Commons obligated to the town editorially. (Degray) 'We viewed it as a small business loan. It didn't have any bearing that it was a newspaper. Since I've been on the board we've given money to a local brewery we've given money to a bagel start up. So as long as they meet the criteria, which they did.' "

VIDEO: Today's NENF event in Lowell streamed live

WATCH LIVE VIDEO STREAM FROM 9:30 A.M.

VIEW DETAILED PROGRAM AND REGISTER / On Saturday, June 28, 2008, the New England News Forum and the law firm of Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye, LLP present a unique, one-day workshop, "Sharing the News: Fresh Approaches to Reaching Students and Training Citizens." Designed for New England college journalism educators, high-school newspaper advisors and journalism teachers, citizen journalists and bloggers, the session will bring in four experts to bring us up to date.

Knight Foundation makes $25M gift to Newseum, opening April 11 in DC

The soon-to-open Newseum, a 250,000-square-foot, interactive celebration of the news and its contribution to democracy, received a $25-million "founding partner" donation on March 19. It came from the nation's premier journalism-focused foundation. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced the gift -- termed the largest from the news community so far to the museum -- to honor the legacy of the Knight brothers. A conference center and broadcast studios will be named in their honor.

Opening April 11 on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the museum of news will remind generations of Washington visitors of the importance of the First Amendment, free speech and the role of the media in a free society, the Miami-based foundation said in announcing its gift.

Starting with the Beacon-Journal in Akron, Ohio, Jack and Jim Knight grew their company, first Knight Newspapers, then Knight Ridder, into one of the nation's largest newspaper companies. Knight Ridder was sold and broken up in 2006, giving impetus to efforts ensuring that the Knight brothers' legacy remains a long-remembered part of American journalism.

"The Newseum will be the most interactive museum in the nation," said Robert Briggs, vice chairman of the Knight Foundation. "That's one of the reasons we are excited by the major education opportunities the Newseum will provide." Once opened, the new museum's two Knight broadcast studios, including the Pennsylvania Avenue Studio overlooking the U.S. Capitol, will be the location of top-flight news programs and civic dialogue on the issues of the day.

"Millions of Americans travel to the National Mall to learn what it means to be an American," said Steiger, editor in chief of ProPublica. "It's fitting for the Fourth Estate to take up residence there."

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Since 1950, Knight Foundation has made nearly $400 million in grants to support journalism. To learn more, visit www.knightfoundation.org .

The Newseum - a 250,000-square-foot museum of news - offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum is located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. It features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

The Knight Foundation provided seed funding for the New England News Forum.

SOURCE: Knight Foundation news release, via email

AUDIO: Copyright and defamation -- legal advice to editors

  Two lawyers from a Boston law firm which provides advice to New England Press Association members lead a session giving advice and sharing issues about the laws of defamation and copyright on the web. Among questions answered: Should a newspaper edit user-submitted posts? The session was held on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel in Boston as part of the New England Press Association annual convention.  The two attorneys were Robert A. Bertsche and Rebecca R. Bodfish of the firm of Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye, LLP -- 617.456.8018.  To listen to a stream of the audio, click on the carat on the left of the bar below.  To download an MP3 podcast: CLICK HERE (1 hour, 54 minutes/55MB)

Examiner group to buy Metro?

Adam Reilly's  media blog,  Don't Quote Me,  reported Friday that the Examiner group is thinking about acquiring Metro's three American papers, including the Boston edition. The New York Times Company, the Boston Globe's parent company, holds a 49 percent stake in the Metro. If the Examiner is the only bidder and how this development would affect the future other freebies like Boston Now, is just to be determined.

Tufts' streakers cause Somerville Journal headache

The Somerville Journal experienced one of the pitfalls of web 2.0 and multimedia newsgathering this week when a story about an annual student streaking event met with criticism for violating student's privacy and general naughty behavior. Its unclear whether the footage accompanying the story (a Youtube video featuring rear nudity only) was consumer-produced or the result of a Journal staffer.

Ex-LATimes editor says he broached idea of four-paper web subscription consortium -- it's now dead, he says

If Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. opens up the Wall Street Journal's website to free browsing without subscription, it will spell the end of one initiative to figure out how to finance quality news on the web, according to the former editor of the Los Angeles Times.  John Carroll was among four people on a panel, "The News Business and the Business of News," on Saturday at Boston College.

Carroll's assessment came as he describe research he conducted last year while a fellow at the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.  He was on a panel organized by the Masssachusetts Foundation on the Humanities, part of a free symposium entitled: "No News is Bad News."

Carroll, who now lives in Lexington, Ky.,  said he interviewed about 50 leaders of the news industry during his post-L.A. Times research for Shorenstein. "The captains of our industry were in a state of demoralization and confusion," Carroll said he found.  He said circulation revenue which sustains newspaper report in print is "kaput" on the web because nearly all news websites are free.

During his visits, he said he proposed the idea of a newspaper-industry consortium of four of what he termed the most prestigious papers for national, international and business news -- New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street -- who he said should merge access to their websites and create a common subscription to all. 

"And If you could pursuade those people, who don't like each other all that much, to form a consortium and have all of their web, all of their online material be sold through one vendor, like they would own, just like a newstand on the corner here which sells multiple papers," said Carroll, "they would reclaim something something that the newspaper business is losing, which is a quasi monopoly.

"I don't think it would be an illegal monopoly, because thousands and thousands of people are covering national, foreign and business news. But these people do it by far the best. And if you were an intelligent, if you were this audience, and you could only get those four papers through that site, I suspect we would have a 90% plus subscriber rate in this room and could recover that circulation rapidly.

"That idea, I mentioned it to people at these various papers. None of them said it was a bad idea, but they were already so absorbed  going in their own direction with their own contractual relationships and strategies and so forth that nobody  did it or even paid it that much attention I think. Now that the Wall Street Journal has gone to Murdoch and Murdoch is talking about taking it free, that's the end of it. It will never happen.  But it was kind of a last stab at preserving the idea of paid content." 

Carroll's remarks came 30 minutes into a 75-minute discussion lead by former Wall Street Journal reporter Ellen Hume, who now teaches at UMass Boston, and including New York Times columnist David Carr and St. Petersburg Times Executive Editor Neil Brown.

Brown outlines efforts by the St. Petersburg paper -- which is owned by the non-profit Poynter Institute -- to develop multiple means of delivering on its quality-journalism-which-benefits-democracy-mission to users non only on the web and in the traditional daily paper, but also via free-distribution weekday tabloid. He said the traditional paper's circulation is holding steady and even increasing among some younger demograhics.

Carr said he things newspapers and magazines will evolve into niche publications for the wealthy and they will be "like catnip for marketers," and hence will likely survive, although perhaps with reduced circulation and higher subscription fees.  Meanwhile, he said, "making their websites better and better [and free] is in a way building out the gallows."

The irony, said Carr, is that newspaper reporters have never had more readers, when combined print and web readership is included. But the problem is that advertisers do not consider a web reader to be as valuable as a print reader, so web ad revenue increases are not offsetting print ad revenue declines. 

To listen to an audio stream of the entire panel, click on the carat to the left of the bar below. Carroll's remarks about the four papers begins about 30 minutes in after about 10 seconds of crowd noise and an introduction by Donald MacGillis, Boston Globe assistant editorial-page editor.  A downloadable MP3 podcast is also available (36 megs). 

(Full disclosure: The author of this post is an investor in Clickshare Service Corp., a company which has patented a system allowing users to have an account at one website and purchase or subscribe to content at multiple other websites.)

Lowell Sun Editor Buys Meehan's House

The Boston Globe's Sasha Issenberg brings to our attention that Lowell Sun editor Jim Campanini has purchased former Representative Martin T. Meehan's Lowell home.
Issenberg's article also chronicles the paper's worryingly chummy history with the recently appointed Chancellor of the the University of Massachusetts' Lowell campus.

Cullen weighs in on Boston Firefighter scandal

Kevin Cullen's latest colunm in today's Boston Globe takes a look at the fallout from the recent firefighter tragedy and the unsettling leaked autopsy details that followed.  Cullen does an excellent job of sorting out the pieces of this complicated story, focusing mainly on Judge Merita Hopkins gag order of WHDH in Boston, which prevented the station from broadcasting their scoop and her previous association with Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

On Friday, the Boston Herald ran their own editorial into the Fire Fighters' union 's attempt to stifle the press. Menino has ordered a "stem to sterm" look at the department's substance policies since the judge's ruling has been overturned.

WHDH's political editor Andy Hiller also looked into Judge Hopkins relationship with Menino here.