Published Tuesday, April 3, 2001
Ready, set, vote: The race is on among 12 board candidates
BY KRISSAH WILLIAMS
ASNE Reporter
Twelve candidates are vying for six spots on the ASNE Board of Directors this year, among them five incumbents.
The candidates stressed the importance of strong leadership as the economy slows and the value of increasing diversity in newsrooms, despite shrinking budgets. A few editors emphasized the importance of further integrating small newspapers into ASNE and developing more programs and initiatives addressing their needs and concerns. Members of ASNE can vote for six of the 12 candidates until 4 p.m. Thursday at the ASNE registration desk.
The candidates are:
Gilbert
Bailon, executive editor, The Dallas Morning News (incumbent)
Mr. Bailon is past president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and has served as chairman of ASNE’s Diversity Committee. He is heading the Partnerships and Diversification Committee.
“This year, there is going to be a lot of focus on continuing to provide excellent journalism in a tight economy and in some cases with fewer resources,” Mr. Bailon said.
Susan Bischoff, deputy managing editor, Houston Chronicle
Ms. Bischoff has been president of the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors. She is the chairwoman of ASNE’s Education for Journalism Committee and will help establish the group’s High School Journalism Initiative over the next two years.
“My vision is to ensure ASNE is a primary resource for editors of all-size newspapers and also to encourage the best and brightest students to enter print journalism,” Ms. Bischoff said.
Jennie
Buckner, editor, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (incumbent)
Ms. Buckner began her newspaper career at the Detroit Free Press. She has been an ASNE member since 1982 and has headed the Leadership Committee. She also has served on the Future of Newspapers and the Ethics and Values Committees.
“We need to write about (leadership) in our publications, share ideas to keep the focus on it … make sure that we have strong leadership development programs for editors and continue to have a strong Leadership Committee,” she said.
Byron
Calame, deputy managing editor, The Wall Street Journal
Mr. Calame is president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and is the chairman of the new ASNE Craft Development Committee to help editors teach their staffs how to improve writing, copy editing and photography skills.
“ASNE’s primary objective should be to try to make what we are doing so relevant that our readers will find time to read it and seek ways to make the maximum use of print and the Internet,’’ Mr. Calame said.
Doug
Clifton, editor, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
Mr. Clifton has been editor of The Plain Dealer since 1999 and before that was executive editor of The Miami Herald. He is a member of the Journalism Advisory Board at Kent State University.
“The First Amendment issues are the ones that always need to be front and center on ASNE’s agenda,’’ Mr. Clifton said. “Our efforts need to be to help remind the public that First Amendment issues are not only for the press, but they are mainly for citizens.”
Joe
Distelheim, editor, The Huntsville (Ala.) Times
Mr. Distelheim is president of the Alabama Press Association Foundation and past president of the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors. He has been a member of ASNE since 1990 and has headed the Small Newspapers Committee.
“I want to be a voice for the smaller newspaper. Most of the papers in America are smaller, and we need to be represented in the concerns of ASNE,” Mr. Distelheim said.
Charlotte
Hall, managing editor, Newsday, Melville, New York
Ms. Hall’s work at Newsday spans 20 years, from copy chief to managing editor. She is an active member of the Newspaper Association of America and has served on various ASNE committees, including the Diversity Committee, which she headed.
“ASNE
should be a place where editors come together to discuss
the most important issues of the day, both in public policy
and journalism,’’ Ms. Hall said.
Edward Jones, editor, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. (incumbent)
Mr. Jones has headed the National Conference of Editorial Writers and the Virginia Press Association. An ASNE board member since 1997, he has been chairman of the Convention Program Committee and has served on various other committees.
“I think we need to continue to be a national voice for newspapers, particularly on the issues of diversity and leadership,” Mr. Jones said. “We have a key role to play in both those areas, to come up with inspirational, practical action plans.”
Robert
G. McGruder, executive editor, Detroit Free Press (incumbent)
Mr. McGruder belongs to the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Minority Media Executives and is a past president of the APME. An ASNE member since 1983, he led the Readership Issues Committee.
“ASNE must be the source of help and information for editors faced with the continued challenge of improving quality, increasing readership and maintaining high ethical standards at America’s newspapers,” Mr. McGruder said.
Gregory
L. Moore, managing editor, The Boston Globe (incumbent)
Mr. Moore has served on the NABJ board and was a founding member of the group’s Cleveland chapter. An ASNE board member for the past three years, he has chaired the International and Membership Committees and has been editor of the ASNE Reporter.
“My vision for ASNE is to continue to be the voice for aggressive and responsible journalism and creative solutions for the nagging issues of credibility and diversity,” Mr. Moore said. “Leadership in all these areas is key, and we have to provide it.”
Rena
Pederson, editorial page editor, The Dallas Morning News
Ms. Pederson is a past president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers. An ASNE member since 1986, she was chairwoman of the group’s Writing Awards Board and co-chairwoman of the American Editor Committee.
“This is a time to be proactive, to think big … and not be timid in the face of change all around us,” Ms. Pederson said. “When times get hard, leaders step up.”
Gil
Thelen, executive editor, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune
As executive editor, Mr. Thelen has led the creation of the multimedia News Center in Tampa, which brings together print, TV, radio and the Internet to report the news. An ASNE member for 11 years, he is chairman of the Interactive Media Committee.
My vision is “for ASNE to continue to be a dynamic leader in American journalism,” Mr. Thelen said.
