EDITORS ASKED FOR NUTS AND BOLTS; THEY GOT THEM

With sessions on values and younger readers - along with a full-fledged debate - editors got down to business at the 1996 convention (plus some top newsmakers)

Nuts and bolts. That's what this year's ASNE convention advertised itself as, and that's what it delivered. Indeed, that's what convention attendees in the past several years have said they crave - more information on how they can make their newspapers better.

ASNE President Bill Ketter set the tone when, in his opening address, he urged editors to get off their duffs and delve into the world where their readers live. That, Ketter said, is far more beneficial than simply studying readership surveys. Ketter, vice president and editor of the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass., suggested editors get themselves to coffee shops, malls and day-care centers to better understand their readers.

But Ketter's words didn't mean that the convention would shun readership studies. One of the most provocative sessions featured a far-reaching survey of Generation X and its readership habits. (One of the most telling pieces of information from the survey was that they don't want to be called Generation X. That alone may be a signal that we have a lot of work to do with this particular group of readers.)

Actually, the survey results were upbeat, so upbeat that some editors questioned their very reliability. After all, the results said that most of the people in this twenty something age group actually read newspapers, but they have different perspectives than older readers on what interests them. They are not particularly interested in our opinions, for instance, and they very much want to be entertained.

But the researchers insist that numbers are good and that we should pay close attention to them if we want to attract younger readers.

The nuts-and-bolts theme took on an even more pointed tone in a tag-team wrestling match on journalism values. On one side of the face-off were Cole Campbell, editor of the Norfolk Virginian Pilot, and Janet Weaver, managing editor of the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle. Both have implemented structural changes at their papers that they believe will get them more in touch with the readers.

The opposing team: Bill Kovach, curator of the Nieman Foundation, and Michael Gartner, editor and co-owner of the Ames (Iowa) Daily Tribune. Kovach and Gartner encouraged editors to get back to the basic job of covering the news - rather than worrying about organizing focus groups and public forums.

The winners? Well, the editors in the audience decided that in a kind of nuts-and-bolts-go-hi-tech fashion: They voted with handheld devices on how they felt about some of the ideas being espoused. On most questions, the audience ended up squarely in the middle. They thought newspapers had some problems but seemed leery of radical structural changes to fix them. But the convention wasn't all advice. Editors also got their share of reminders about the importance of the freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie prodded editors to boldly exercise their First Amendment rights.

"I want to suggest to you that citizens of free societies, democracies, do not preserve their freedom by pussyfooting around their fellow citizens' opinions, even their most cherished beliefs...Skepticism and freedom are indissolubly linked."

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Rushdie address was the lack of obvious security. Many editors had envisioned super-tight security for him but, except for a few bodyguards, the protection was unobtrusive.

The same went for Vice President Al Gore's luncheon appearance on Thursday. There was no extra security check at the doors or in the hall, as is standard in a presidential address. And at Gore's house Thursday night, security checks went smoothly. Instead of requiring photo IDs from everyone, they just checked name badges.

The vice president's mansion was everything people had envisioned, though there seemed discomfort once again (reminiscent of the line that formed to get your picture taken with Bill and Hillary) in lining up to get pictures taken with Al and Tipper. Nevertheless, most succumbed (and even got to say what inscription they wanted on their picture).

In fact, the reception at the vice-president's mansion was the social highlight of the convention. The receptions at the National Portrait Gallery Tuesday night and the Freedom Forum reception Wednesday night were also well received, though there were some complaints that the National Portrait Gallery was so spread out it was difficult to schmooze.

The meals also got mixed reviews. Wednesday's lunch of a pesto cream and pasta was roundly booed but the menu redeemed itself somewhat with Friday's sauteed fish and garlic mashed potatoes.

And the shop talk of the convention? Actually, it was a follow-up from last year's convention. Then, newsprint prices were all anyone could talk about.

This year talk centered on the fallout from the prices - the newsroom cutbacks made in the past year. Another nuts and bolts issue.

Healy is managing editor of the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel.