The American Editor, June 1997

A note from the President

Amid the constant criticism some see a future for us, by Sandy Rowe

1997 ASNE convention

Overall

Convention emphasizes newsroom issues, ideas, by Colleen Conant

Are we editors anymore?

Today's editor: marketer, cheerleader, parent, Job description is a little different than it was 30 years ago; perhaps worrying about what has changed, though, is taking editors nowhere, by Cruise Palmer

Ways to encourage breakthrough thinking

Institutional innovation key to staying current, speakers from various fields agree that making innovation part of the culture - getting away from 'that's the way we've always done things' makes changes faster and better, by Jim Foudy

Keynote Breakfast

Bipartisan group talks lawmaker civility, Scramble to fill J.C. Watts' spot brings interesting conversation to Keynote Breakfast, by Tom Blount

Redefining Government

Covering government in a time of change, Survey indicates reporters aren't well-versed in complicated governmental changes, participants said they should be, by Craig Branson

Wednesday luncheon

Lucid's homey style is a breath of fresh air, U.S. astronaut with record in space may have spent six months on board the Mir space station, but her feet never left the ground, by Mike Pride

Public's use of media

Study: Papers should focus on local news, solutions, Joint NAA/ASNE media usage study finds that people look to newspapers for local news and shopping information and wish solutions, not just problems, would be reported, by Charles M. Dunagin

Ideas for newspaper content

An avalanche of content ideas to steal, Content session cuts to the chase: Dozens of good things you can do at your paper, by David S. Barrett

The newsroom work force

Newspaper work force is grayer; less hopeful, Human resources report finds newspaper journalists are older, o the whole, than in 1988, and less positive about the future; increased diversity, though, is a bright note, by Anne Saul

State of our business: Someone else wants it

Publisher's message: Change or be changed, In this competitive media marketplace, editors who take the lead in tackling their newspapers' problems will be better off than if they let the advertising department do it, by Pam Johnson

Thursday luncheon

Albright reaffirms U.S. role in world leadership, In far-ranging speech, secretary of state presses for chemical weapons treaty, reconciliation in Middle East and cordial China relations; press freedoms, she says, are part of the effort, by Max Jennings

The ASNE Reporter

The ASNE Reporter: A sun of journlistic fire, Young writers, editors and photographers have a lot to offer America's newspapers, and judging from the latest ASNE study, they need it, by Peter Hong

Convention newspaper gets me ready for more, Thrill of coming to Washington faded as we worked, ate, slept and lived journalism; most can't wait to do it at a 'real newspaper', by Michael Vega

Innocent until reporter guilty?

When do you print the suspect's name?, With the Richard Jewell-Olympic bombing experience fresh in editor's minds, a lawyer, a police chief and a journalistic ethicist explore a hypothetical case, by Brian Toogan

Connecting to the disconnected

Reconnecting can be hard, jarring, painful, Despite unpleasantness, reaching beyond the newsroom and traditional sources is key to reaching the disconnected reader, by Craig Branson

'Letters to the editor'

'Letter': All news is really, really local, Play written from letters to Pennsylvania editors serves as a reminder that many readers are more interested in missing laundry and broken traffic lights than world, by Jane Scholz

Distinguished writing awards

Writing award winners say thinking, feeling key, Unless writers get a chance to chew on the real universal of a story and express it, the story won't touch readers; emotions are something to be conveyed through storytelling, by Joe Worley

A conversation on the future of South Africa

South African official offers look at country, Even with Ben Bradlee to question him, Thabo Mbeki demurs on his political plans, but he does talk about the press, human rights, the police and housing, by Lee Salem

It's still the content, Stupid: 1997-2010

Content session: You say provocative, I say tense, Discussion of the future of newspapers brings together people with very different visions; discussion of the role of online news brings the most reaction, by Thomas Walton

Friday luncheon

Clinton: I want open government, 'There is too much secrecy,' he says, but stops short of supporting Moynihan bill; America's youth should study, stay off drugs and get to know 'people different from you', by Peter G. Johnson

'Dilbert' creator skewers work while in pajamas, Cartoonist Scott Adams says he pursued career goals that would allow him to work in a bathrobe, but pope had that pesky requirement of being Catholic, by Larry Reisman

An American Editor

Fredericksburg, Va. editor stays put - a rarity, Edward W. Jones is from Fredericksburg, he lives there and he edits his hometown paper; while family ownership may explain some of the stability, his character explains the rest, by George Benge

Edward W. Jones, by George Benge

About The Free Lance-Star, by George Benge

The write stuff

Crazy Eddie, beer and a long face top off these winning leads, headlines, by Brian Cooper

Good writing

'Consultive editing' makes better writers, editors and stories, Working together can improve the stories and the reporter-editor relationship, by Kevin McGrath

What would you do?

Photos that provoke firestorms: Bodies, Seldom do stories generate the outrage, the emotion, the intensity that provocative photos do; whether a newspaper has a policy or not, news judgment is vital in these cases, by Kathy Silverberg

ASNE on the move