Vol. 97, No 8August 2012

THEWASHINGTONNEWSPAPERTWN

Journal of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington • www.wnpa.com

Herald, Everett

David Dadisman was named the Daily

Herald’s new pub-lisher, and made it clear that he’s here to stay to keep the company’s focus firmly local.

Dadisman, 53, grew up in a newspaper household and has worked in newspaper management positions since graduating from the University of Georgia. He has been the Daily Herald Co.’s general manager since January 2010 and will keep that role, along with his new one as publisher.

Dadisman replaces Allen

Herald, Everett

As the Herald’s new editorial page editor, Peter Jackson wants

to focus on ideas and solu-tions.

Jackson, 46, is a well-known writer, conservation advocate and community voice throughout the Pacific Northwest.

He was named to the Herald post in late July, replacing longtime editorial

The Inlander

After 19 years, the Inlander is finally getting a home all its own. The weekly paper — a serial renter of

assorted office spaces around Spokane — is set to build its own headquarters this fall.

“It’ll hopefully be a permanent home for the newspaper and the company,” says Publisher Ted S. McGregor Jr.

The Kendall Yards location will be the sixth home for the Inlander. A purchase

agreement has been signed, and the deal was scheduled to close in late July, McGregor says. Construction will cost about $1.3 million and the Inlander will own both the building and the land, he says. He declined to say how much the land purchase would cost.

About 11,000 square feet will be used by the Inlander, while another 2,000 square feet will be leased, according to McGregor.

Rachal Pinkerton has been named editor of the Quincy Valley Post-Register, the community newspaper

for the greater Quincy area in Grant County, Washington.

Chuck Allen, former editor and publisher of the newspaper, left in June to accept a position with the Grant County P.U.D. He had been with the newspaper for seven years.

Pinkerton is a second-generation Quincy native who has filled the roles of writer, photographer, designer and act-ing editor of the Post-Register off and on over the past four years.

She is a graduate of Kentucky Mountain Bible College in Vancleve, Kentucky.

In addition to the weekly Post-Register, the staff produces a mailed shopper prod-uct as well as a seasonal guide of regional happenings, The Shine, published weekly during the summer months.

The Quincy Valley Post-Register is owned by the World Publishing Company of Wenatchee.

Toasts to founding member newspapers, honorary life members, past presidents and

invited guests — including candidates for state leadership roles — will open the Anniversary Celebration of the 125th an-nual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association convention.

WNPA was founded Oct. 6, 1887, in Yakima.

The setting for the Sept. 27 reception, sponsored by MediaSpan Software, is Gilbert Cellars, a family winery with Yakima roots dating to 1897.

Following the reception, events start at the Red Lion Hotel-Yakima Center on Sept. 28 with the annual membership breakfast and a keynote presentation, “Customer Relations” by Rick Farrell.

Farrell, the president of Tangent

Knowledge Systems in Chicago, rose to the top in the Convention Committee’s quest for potential guest speakers.

Read what tipped the final choice for Committee Chair Keven Graves, publisher of the Nisqually Valley News, Yelm, on page 8 (“Testimonial from Ohio”).

In advertising sessions later in the day, Farrell will teach his approach to sales in sessions for advertising managers and sales representatives.

Three WNPA-member presenters also will help members succeed in building

advertising revenues.Donna Etchey, a popular

presenter at the 2011 convention, returns to share a favorite sales tool, the pre-call planner.

“The objectives are to create interest, solve prob-lems and close the sale. If you focus on helping, not selling, you’ll improve suc-cess ratios,” said Etchey, publisher of the North Kitsap Herald in Poulsbo and the Bainbridge Island Review.

“Selling High-Value Advertising on the Web” is a team presentation by Sara Radka and Danielle Lothrop of the Port Townsend Leader’s marketing department. They’ve had considerable success designing and selling online ad

campaigns, and will share their processes and concepts.

Radka’s webinar on special sections for WNPA last year drew strong appreciation for its details. Ad reps won’t want to miss this one.

Also web-related is the dis-cussion of building online com-munity, which follows Farrell’s keynote address. Everyone

is urged to attend.Tyler Whitworth of NVN and Elizabeth

Dutton, Sound’s vice president of digital operations, will explain their approaches and goals for using social media and print newspapers to build interest in newspa-pers’ websites and vice versa.

Rick Farrell

Kirsten Morse/LaConner Weekly NewsA contender in the 2012 Better Newspaper Contest, Kirsten Morse’s ‘Daybreak Flight’ shows the flats near LaConner at dawn in December. Winners in the 2012 contest will be announced Sept. 28, 2012, at the Red Lion Hotel-Yakima Center. Register for the Awards Dinner at wnpa.com/events.

WING SHOT

Post-Register picksPinkerton as editor

Pacific NW Inlander/Spokane The streetside view of plans for Summit Parkway in Kendall Yards, Spokane, the future home of the Inlander.

Dadismantakes helmat Herald

David Dadisman

Inlander finds a place to land

Jackson leadseditorial pagein Everett

See WNPA, page 8

See INLANDER, page 4 See EDIT, page 10

See HERALD, page 4

Learn, share, applaud at convention 125

2 AUGUST 2012 TWN

Officers:President: Jana Stoner, North-ern Kittitas County Tribune, Cle Elum l First Vice President: Bill Forhan, NCW Media, Leavenworth l Second Vice President: Keven Graves, Nisqually Valley News, Yelm l Past President: Paul Archipley, Edmonds Beacon, Mukilteo Beacon l Secretary: Bill Will, WNPA, SeattleTrustees:Mike Dillon, Pacific Publishing Co., Seattle l Josh Johnson, Liberty Lake Splash, Lib-erty Lake l Eric LaFontaine, Othello Outlook l Imbert Matthee, Waitsburg Times l Lori Maxim, Sound Publishing l Stephen McFadden, Ritzville-Adams County Journal l Fred Obee, Port Townsend LeaderStaff:Executive Director: Bill Will l Editor/Manager of Member Services: Mae Waldron

Officers:President: W. Stacey Cowles, The Spokesman-Review l Vice President: Mike Shepard, Seattle Times CompanyBoard: Rufus Friday, Tri-City Herald l Jill Mackie, The Seattle Times l Dennis Waller, Chronicle, CentraliaExecutive Director: Rowland Thompson

THE WASHINGTON NEWS-PAPER is the official publication of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. It is pub-lished monthly by WNPA, 12354 30th Ave NE, Seattle WA 98125, phone (206) 634-3838. Email: mwaldron@wnpa.com; URL: www.wnpa.com, in conjunction with Allied Daily Newspapers of Washington, P.O. Box 29, Olym-pia, WA 98507, (360) 943-9960. Email: anewspaper@aol.com.

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This thought-provoking, highly interactive presentation is designed to challenge traditional ideas about engaging with customers and others in your community. You’ll come to understand a new point of view about what customers want from you and why, and how to best serve their needs and the needs of your newspaper. Farrell will offer a refreshing change to how best to support your customer relationships in the long term.

Richard P. Farrell is president of Tangent Knowledge Systems. Having

been responsible for sales and business development for nearly 25 years, he brings a tremendous depth of experience and results to his audiences. Farrell’s passionate, provocative and interactive style encourages audience participation, learning, and improvement while providing practical, time-tested information. He has presented for Inland Press and other associations

as well as Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, helping them optimize their performance by assessing their sales people, sales processes, management structure and strategies. In addition to an upcoming book, “Selling has Nothing to do with Selling,” Farrell has written dozens of articles on sales topics for magazines and newspapers.

Keynote: Customer Relationships

Building Online Community

Max Heath, postal expert extraordinaire, will share the latest issues, such as the rules change allowing electronic subscriptions to be counted on postal circulation statement, Intelligent Mail barcode requirements, what to do about post office and plant closings to protect service, the rules change allowing simplified address mail on city routes, possible end of 6-day delivery, mandatory address loca-tions, FSS, SOX, DUOs and PBV (attend to understand these strange acronyms and how

they may affect you). Handouts provided for reference.

Max Heath is a semi-retired postal

consultant for Publish-ing Group of America and Landmark Com-munity Newspapers, Inc., Shelbyville, KY. For 21 years he was executive editor and for 23 years corporate circulation director as well. Now in his 29th year as chair of the

Postal Committee of the National Newspaper Association, Heath writes a monthly Postal Tips column for Publisher’s Auxiliary. He was named to the Postal Service Mailer’s Techni-cal Advisory Committee (MTAC) represent-ing NNA in 1989, and is also on the national Periodical Operations Advisory Committee and the rule-making Periodicals Advisory Group. He has received five career awards from NNA, and the Postal Service presented him a Special Achievement Award in 1998. He conducts seminars as part of NNA’s outreach to the industry.

Breaking News: Postal Issues

Our panel of experienced editors will discuss and answer audience questions

about a range of topics: How to prepare questions for and conduct a tough interview, how to work your sources, strategies for dealing with fallout after a story runs —like how to respond when you run into someone who says your story misquoted them. Bring questions about stories you’re working on or about past situations you’d like to have handled differently. Be prepared to see the discussion travel into areas of audience interest.

Patrick J. Sullivan, moderator, has

been an editor at the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader since 1989. Patrick’s first job in the community newspaper business was printer’s

devil, an era when his recent job title of new media director would have been pure imagination. A University of Montana graduate, Patrick chairs the WNPA Better Newspaper Contest Committee.

Keven Graves is editor and publisher

of the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm. He joined the newspaper in 1999 and was promoted to publisher in 2006. Previously he had worked at newspapers the Whidbey-News Times and Coupeville Examiner. He earned his journalism degree in 1987. A WNPA trustee for five years, Graves joined the executive committee last year as Second Vice President. He also has been active on the WNPA Foundation board.

Josh Johnson has been editor

and publisher of the Liberty Lake Splash, his hometown newspaper, since 2004. Johnson relinquished his role

as Splash editor this past spring, a few months after he launched the Current, a monthly publication for the greater Spokane Valley. Prior to purchasing the Splash he served as opinion page editor of the Benton County (Ark.) Daily Record. Johnson holds a journalism degree from John Brown University in Arkansas.

Kasia Pierzga, editor and publisher

of the Whidbey Examiner in Coupeville, has worked as a writer her entire career. Her background includes serving as assistant editor of the Port Townsend Leader and as a reporter at the Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon and the Whidbey-News Times in Oak Harbor. She purchased the Examiner from its five founding partners in 2006.

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * EditorS, rEportErS

Practical Reporting

Reporters, are you confident behind the keyboard but less so behind a camera? In this session, you’ll learn how to set up a dynamic shot – how to direct people and get a good expression, where you should stand, and, once you’re back in the office, how to select and crop to get the best images for your story. Our presenter has won plenty of BNC awards, and he knows your job. Expect an email from him soon after registration is due.

David Dick has been a professional photographer for over a decade

in the beautiful Kittitas Valley. His experience ranges from capturing photojournalistic images for the Daily Record in Ellensburg to his current assignments shooting landscapes, portraits, weddings and just about anything with David Dick Photography. He trained as both a fine arts photographer and a

journalist at Central Washington University. He conveys his expertise in these fields with a well-rounded portfolio and many photography awards.

Think Like a Photographer

Saturday 10:15am - NooN * rEportErS, photographErS, dESigNErS

Friday 10:15 - 10:45am * EvEryoNE

Learn how to use Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter to boost traffic to your newspaper and website. “It’s all about making the product stronger, because we still believe print is our bread and butter,” said Whitworth. Dutton will share her experience at creating opportunities for hyperlocal engagement for reporters at Sound Publishing’s Washington newspapers, applying expertise gained while developing customer-contact strategies in other industries.

Tyler Whitworth As an advertising

consultant and website administrator for the Nisqually Valley News, Tyler Whitworth has developed an interactive and growing online community since 2008.

Tyler believes that print is still the star of the show and will remain that way, but recognizes that social media plays an important supporting role. He will talk about how the Internet and social media can be transformed into powerful tools that allow the newspaper to further connect and interact with its readers. He served as a panelist for the 2011 convention.

Elizabeth Dutton joined Black Press

as Vice President of Digital Operations in early 2011.  Responsible for online aspects of the company’s 75+ newspapers, she ensures that, at a local level, reporters are able to post quality content quickly and engage with readers online.  She also manages the online classified business, which follows the hyper-local model.  Most recently Dutton worked at Amazon.com in their books business. Previously she spent eight years focusing on customer contact as a strategy and implementation consultant in Canada and the United Kingdom. 

It won’t be long now until we’ll be celebrating the 125th Anniversary of

the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association in Yakima.

The convention committee has been busy with preparations for a grand convention on Sept. 27-29, with plenty of topical sessions woven in for some great educational opportunities. I hope you and your staff will be able to attend this historic event; it will be worth the investment. The committee has lined up some exciting national speakers that I know you will enjoy. And, you might be the lucky winner of a Canon EOS Rebel TS digi-tal camera and lens kit! Watch for more details in the complete convention brochure, which will be mailed to you in August.

There will also be a conven-tion attendees’ photo taken

before the Better Newspaper Contest Awards Dinner again this year, so be ready to put on your best smiles for that.

We are working on a special history tab featuring a collection of photos, stories and personal messages from past presidents about their experiences in WNPA. It will cover the past 125 years in the community newspaper publishing business in our evergreen state. We will

also include a list of all current members and publishers and, in a second tab section, an over-view with listings and images of the 2012 Better Newspaper Contest award winners. This souvenir edition will be distributed following the BNC Dinner on Friday night. If you

aren’t able to attend, but would like copies sent to you after the convention, please send an email to Mae Waldron (mwaldron@wnpa.com) with the subject, “Convention Anniversary Tab” along with your mailing address and how many copies you would like.

As an added bonus to this souvenir anniversary newspaper, I urge all WNPA members to send in a group photo of your newspaper staff to be included in our historic-images slideshow displayed during convention. Be creative, and have at least one

WNPA September celebration on the horizon

Jana StonerPublisher,Norther Kittitas County Tribune,WNPA President

Beneath the sunny skies of Cle Elum are staff mem-bers of the Northern Kittitas County Tribune, from left: Jerri Stoner, Casey Clark, Debbie Renshaw, Cindy Steiner, Katie Brinkerhoff, and Jana Stoner. WNPA members are urged to email a staff photo to mwaldron@wnpa.com by Aug. 31 for the WNPA 125th anniversary slide show.Northern Kittitas County Tribune, Cle Elum

See STONER, page 8

TWN AUGUST 2012 3 OPEN ACCESS & LEGAL ISSUES

Herald, Everett

The financially strapped city of Gold Bar won’t place on the ballot a

measure to disband.The council voted 4-1 on

July 17 against such a move.Instead, the council decided

to ask voters if they are willing to back a tax levy that would help pay legal costs to defend the city from lawsuits related to serial public records requests. Such a measure would appear on the November ballot.

About 30 people from Gold Bar were on hand July 17 to share their thoughts about whether to disincorporate the century-old city.

Contentious disputes over the city’s handling of records have created a clamor out of

proportion with this diminutive Skykomish Valley city of about 2,000 souls.

The cost to defend the city in those cases may approach $100,000 this year, city staff have estimated. That’s about one-sixth of Gold Bar’s entire operating budget.

Mayor Joe Beavers said the way the state public records act now is enforced can bankrupt small cities.

The city considered two resolutions at the meeting.

The first was to authorize a ballot measure raising property taxes by $1 per $1,000 in as-sessed value in 2013. That would generate an estimated $113,000 to cover legal costs.

The second was to authorize the city to disincorporate and be absorbed by Snohomish County

once all assets and liabilities have been processed by an ap-pointed receiver.

If the city disincorporated, it would have been the first time in 40 years that has happened in Washington. The last time was when the community of Westlake, near Moses Lake, went by the legal wayside in 1972.

Snohomish County staff had begun to explore the impacts to the county if Gold Bar disincorporated, Deputy County Executive Gary Haakenson said. It would mainly involve the county taking over road maintenance. The impact to the average taxpayer would likely be negligible.

If it disincorporated, Gold Bar would have been similar to local communities such as

Silvana and Startup that are well-established, but lack a municipal government.

The biggest impact to the county at large, Haakenson said, likely would be lost rev-enue for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, which cur-rently polices the city through a contract.

The general election is Nov. 6. The deadline for the city to submit the ballot measures to the Snohomish County Auditor is Aug. 7.

“The election is not until November,” Beavers wrote in an email. “Maybe something will happen between then and now. Maybe a retired Microsoft executive will write a big check. Any other ideas?”

The Associated Press

A couple of months before Brad Toft emerged as the only Republican in

a crucial state Senate race, he pressed officials to seal records from a past court case.

In a signed letter, Toft seemed to suggest that he wasn’t the same person cited in the court files, saying that he shared a name with one of the parties but arguing that “the specific identity of the defendant is un-clear.” He wanted the records blocked from public inspection, declaring that the files might do damage to his reputation.

Toft, however, acknowledged to The Associated Press that he was the defendant in the case, saying he was simply exploring whether an old judgment could be vacated.

“I wasn’t saying it wasn’t me,” Toft said. “I was just say-ing it was a resolved issue.”

Toft’s emerging background comes amid some Republican turmoil as the party tries to retain control of that key Senate seat, which covers eastern King County territory such as Issaquah and Maple Valley. The outcome of the 5th District race could very well determine whether the GOP can maintain a foothold of power in the state Legislature, and a Republican loss would likely dash the party’s hopes of gaining a ma-jority in the chamber.

The disorder began in May when GOP Sen. Cheryl Pflug announced her departure just a few days after the candidate-filing period came to a close. That left Toft as the only Republican in the race, and the party has rallied behind him, recently giving him $25,000 to run his campaign.

Pflug, meanwhile, has since sparred with fellow Republicans about her departure and recently endorsed the Democratic can-didate, Mark Mullet, to replace her.

In the civil case that Toft looked to seal, he had been sued by College Pro Painters in 1995 for improperly enriching himself by becoming a franchisee but failing to make $10,000 in payments back to the company. About $4,000 in Toft’s wages were garnished as part of the lawsuit, according to court records.

Toft said in an AP interview that it was a contract and royal-ties dispute that was eventually settled.

In March of this year, Toft sent his curious message to the court. He told officials that he only found out about the ruling after doing a background check on his name.

“Because I, to the best of my understanding, have never known or come into contact with the plaintiff, but share a name with the defendant, I am requesting that the judgment be vacated and, if possible sealed,” Toft wrote.

Candidatetries to nixsuit records

Access suits may turn Gold Bar to dust

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Get answers to your HR questions here, including handling exempt vs. salaried employees, independent contractor relationships, unpaid volunteers and interns, and a review of the appropriate processes for terminations and lay offs. Other topics may include social media policies, calculating

leave under state and federal laws, and for those with employees who work or make deliveries in the City of Seattle, how to meet requirements of Seattle’s new paid sick-leave act. Come with your questions.

Boris Gaviria is a labor and employment attorney with an emphasis

on litigation, at Davis Wright Tremaine, Bellevue. He regularly defends employers

against claims of race, gender, and other forms of discrimination, including sexual harassment, and litigates wrongful discharge and class action cases as well as general commercial litigation. Gaviria is fluent in Spanish and active in civic organizations.

HR Minefield: Traps and Tricks for the Unwary

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * PubliSherS, ad managerS, editorS

In this annual opportunity for give-and-take discussion with fellow publishers, Imbert Matthee will lead with bottom-line topics — ideas for improved revenue, cost-cutting, personnel management, anything that has bolstered revenue in your market. Each person who registers is invited to bring one or more ideas — success stories, ideas you would like input about, as well as suggestions

that would help WNPA better meet the needs of your newspaper. By Sept. 14, please send an email to Matthee at publisher@waitsburgtimes.com with your thoughts. The discussion will follow the topics that have the most traction with people in the room.

Imbert Matthee and his wife, Karen, purchased the Waitsburg Times in

late 2009. Prior to buying the newspaper, Imbert had worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as a business writer, Pacific

Rim correspondent and columnist until 1998, when he joined Clear Path International, a nonprofit cause assisting survivors of land mine accidents in Asia. Imbert joined the WNPA board in 2010. Karen worked at the Herald in Everett and the Dallas Times-Herald in Texas, and has founded or served as editor of several magazines.

The Bottom Line: Publishers Round Table

Saturday 10:15am - noon * PubliSherS, ad managerS

Whether in the field or with a team in an office setting, many of today’s workers are side-by-side with mem-bers of four

generations — soon to be five. Each genera-tion has preferred forms of communication, motivators, and recognition. Understanding and appreciating the factors that shape each generation can assist with everything from getting the story to recruitment, retention, and building strong teams and leaders. In this inter-active workshop, you will see demonstrations of viewpoints from each generation.  Through discussion and role-play about the generations,

you will gain insight into what influenced them and understand strategies you can apply im-mediately to create successful interactions and stronger teams. You will laugh, learn, and test new strategies that will “click” and make your life easier.  

Karen McNamara and Robert McNamara in their

multi-generational business, Click Consultants, convey specialized knowledge while engaging their passion for speaking and generating an audience connection. Karen served 25 years as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, and holds a bachelor’s of science in nursing and a master’s in education. For the past 17 years she has focused on education, curriculum and leadership development, working with individuals and

executives to develop teams and reach desired outcomes.

Robert McNamara has been a technical designer for fire stations and training

towers at Rice Fergus Miller Architecture and Planning for the past three years. He holds a bachelor’s of science in architecture and a master’s in business administration. He has several years’ management experience in recreation and safety.

Hiring & Managing a Multigenerational Staff

Friday 3:45 - 5Pm * PubliSherS, ad managerS, editorS

Learn about the latest developments and tips on making public records requests that get results. Earl-Hubbard has illuminating records stories and the answers your questions about how to make a public records request. She represents WNPA members and other newspapers across the state.

Michele Earl-Hubbard, a renowned media law and open government

law attorney, is President of Allied Law Group. She has been named to Best Lawyers in America for First Amendment and Media Law every year since 2006 and also for First Amendment and Media Law Litigation in 2012.  Her law firm, Allied Law Group (“ALG”), which she co-founded in 2007, was named to the list of “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News and World Reports

every year since the rankings began (2010) in the area of Media Law.  Earl-Hubbard has been the main hotline attorney for WNPA newspapers for many years. Prior to starting ALG, for 11 years she was with Davis Wright Tremaine’s Seattle office, first as associate and then as partner.

Making Public Records Requests

Visual communication isn’t limited to your cover pages. The same tools that enhance the design of Page One or section fronts can strengthen your publication’s inside pages — even if they’re stacked with ads. Working with tab and broadsheet examples, Pattison will provide ideas about how to improve design throughout your newspaper. He’ll include an overview of useful

tools, and offer insights about employing headlines and photos as design elements, using color effectively. and making the kinds of decisions that lead to dramatic pages. 

Neal Pattison is executive editor of the Daily Herald in Everett and

its website, HeraldNet. A founding member of the Society for News Design, he has had a long involvement with SND, including a term as president in 1997. He

has taught journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. He encourages all journalists in his newsroom—writers, editors, artists and photographers—to value page design as a form of visual editing. Pattison has been a senior editor at newspapers in Spokane, Seattle and Albuquerque. 

Page Design: Inside/Outside

Friday 3:45 - 5Pm * editorS, rePorterS, deSignerS, PhotograPherS

The growth of the Internet has made reporting and connecting with readers

easier than ever before. But with the Internet comes new questions. When can you use a photo found on the web? How should you monitor online

comments?  What should you know about social networking? What is a website terms of use? You’ll get answers to these and other questions about Internet and other hot legal issues.

Sarah Duran is a media and intellectual

property lawyer with Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle. Her involvement in media legal matters includes

assisting with access disputes, opposing subpoenas issued to journalists, and defending First Amendment rights and defamation claims. Her intellectual property work includes trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and enforcement. She also handles litigation for commercial clients.

Hot Topics: Cyber Liability and More

Saturday 10:15am - noon * editorS

4 AUGUST 2012 TWN

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In his real-world presentation, Farrell will focus on problems and solutions. Come with an open mind. He designed this session as a wake-up call on how to sell, strategize and position your newspaper and your approach to meet the harsh realities of the information economy and the challenging economic climate of today’s

market place.• Learn why most sales

organizations are very good at a game no longer being played.

• Learn why selling by its very nature produces the exact opposite effect that is intended.

• Learn why your value proposition is valueless.

• Learn why you are paid and rewarded for your questions and not your answers and solutions.

• Learn how to get your customers to sell you on whether they have a compelling reason to

change.• If you are going to lose, learn how to lose

quickly, effortlessly and with a minimum expenditure of time.

Rick Farrell, presenter and keynote speaker.

Please refer to Page 2 for full bio.

Selling has Nothing to do with Selling

Friday 3:45 - 5pm * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Farrell stresses a non-selling posture that allows the sales person to play the role of a “change agent” rather than a product-centric transactional sales person. In this session, you will:

• Learn how to qualify new opportunities• Learn how to have a compelling value statement• Learn how to handle stalls and objections• Learn how to find and qualify problems• Learn how to sound different to gain attention

How to Generate New Business: Have a Systematic Sales Strategy

Ad reps and ad managers will see and participate in role-plays based on Farrell’s previous sessions, “Selling has Nothing to

do with Selling” and “How to Generate New Business.” In these fast-paced, entertaining practice interactions you’ll learn about how to best interact with customers when qualifying new opportunities, handling objections, articulating a compelling value statement,

and asking productive questions. With these practical experiences, attendees will be prepared to succeed in the existing markets in their communities.

Rick Farrell, presenter.

Practice New Concepts in Role Play!

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Donna Etchey’s session at last year’s convention drew top comments and requests for more on her sales tools. She’s chosen to focus on the pre-call planner, a tool her sales reps use to avoid time-wasting cold calls. You’ll understand the value and the steps of a needs analysis — how to interview a client to learn about their business, and make it clear you are listening and want to help. With the information gained, you can develop ad

ideas tailored to the client’s needs. “The objectives are to create interest, solve problems, and close the sale. If you focus on helping, not selling, you’ll improve your success ratios,” said Etchey.

Donna Etchey started with Sound Publishing 16 years ago, as office

manager of Poulsbo’s North Kitsap Herald, her hometown newspaper. She transitioned into a marketing rep position, learning from colleagues and experience, and was named publisher seven years ago. In 2012 she was

entrusted with the same role at the Bainbridge Island Review. Etchey served two years as a trustee on the WNPA board.

Tool Up to Boost Sales

Saturday 10:15am - noon * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Entry form provided in convention packets at registration.Drawing will be held during Saturday morning’s breakfast.

Rick Farrell, presenter.

Are you looking for an effective approach to increasing local advertising on your newspaper’s website? And how to educate your advertisers about why that is a good idea? Look no further! In this team presentation, Sara Radka, marketing director of the Port Townsend Leader, will focus on the design and execution of a successful online advertising campaign. Marketing consultant Danielle Lothrop will share her process on the sales side, outlining how she integrates online advertising with a print campaign for comprehensive marketing packages for local Jefferson County businesses.

Sara Radka is marketing director

for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Since she joined the staff in October 2006, she has worked closely with the marketing team, while assisting in the development and maintenance of the Leader’s digital products.

Danielle Lothrop is a marketing

consultant for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. She joined the staff in May 2010, bringing digital and social

media marketing savvy to the table. She has quickly and effectively integrated that expertise into the Leader’s menu of marketing services.

Selling High-Value Advertising on the Web

Friday 2 - 3:30pm * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Must be present to win.

“Their location of this building is in the center of the Kendall Yards business district, so they’ll be one of what I’ll call the ‘anchor businesses’ in the business district,” says Jim Frank, chief executive officer of Greenstone Corporation.

Greenstone is behind the development of Kendall Yards, a 78-acre swath on the bluffs north of the Spokane River and to the western flank of downtown. Among the busi-nesses already committed to the development are a property management firm, a restaurant and spa services, Frank says. The businesses come on the heels of 60 homes that have been built and sold, and another 35 under construction, he says.

The Inlander building will be connected to another one that will house Spa Paradiso. The spa is moving from the Davenport Hotel and will share space with a business yet to be named, spa director Sarah

Schoonover says.“We just felt that it’s urban

and it’s modern,” Schoonover says, referring to Kendall Yards. Spa Paradiso will close shop in the Davenport on July 22 and expects to open in the new loca-tion on Dec. 1.

David Blaine, currently the head chef at Latah Bistro, says he’s also been recruited by Frank for a new restaurant.

“Basically, Jim called me up and said he had this spot and they were thinking of it,” Blaine says. “It’s a very unique op-portunity. This kind of property doesn’t come along very often.”

To be called Central Food, the restaurant will be some-place you’d want to eat on a day-to-day basis, Blaine says.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places, and a lot of them are more special-occasion places,” he says. “What I enjoy most is a neighborhood-style restau-rant.”

Funk, who retired as the paper’s publisher last year.

“The core of our business is our community and focusing on what people care about, high school sports and everything else that people care about in Snohomish County,” Dadisman said. “World and national news is important, but it’s not our core business. People can get that information from all kinds of other places.”

That core business includes an array of locally focused com-munity and business news, prep sports and features. Advertising aims to accommodate businesses big and small.

The Daily Herald Co. is a unit of the Washington Post Co.’s newspaper publishing division, which announced Dadisman’s new role in June.

“We are delighted that David has agreed to make Everett his home and the Daily Herald Company’s business his focus,” said Ann McDaniel, senior vice president of The Washington Post Co.

McDaniel said Dadisman’s challenges will be the same as those faced throughout the newspaper industry: continuing to provide quality journalism with relevant print and online products.

Said Dadisman: “Sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good, so let’s get good products going and we’ll perfect them over time.”

Count on more print and digital changes in the months and years ahead, including more mobile apps for phones and tablet computers.

Among the new publisher’s immediate tasks is choosing a successor for Bob Bolerjack, the Herald’s editorial page editor of the past 10 years. Bolerjack is left in June to take a job with the Snohomish County Public Utility District.

In a larger sense, Dadisman will oversee the business of the Daily Herald’s print and online publications.

“We’re growing revenues where we can,” Dadisman said.

The Daily Herald’s Sunday circulation was 50,795 for the sixth-month period that ended in March, about a 3 percent increase compared with a year earlier. Average daily circulation dipped about 3 percent during the same period, to 46,481.

In addition to the Daily Herald newspaper and HeraldNet.com, the Daily Herald Co. publishes the Weekly Herald, a free community news-paper, as well as the monthly Herald Business Journal and La Raza del Noroeste, a weekly Spanish-language newspaper, and their websites. Combined, all the Daily Herald Co. prod-ucts reach an estimated two-thirds of adults in Snohomish County every week.

People can expect to see a seven-day-a-week newspaper in Snohomish and Island counties for the foreseeable future, he said. That’s in contrast to a few

newspapers that have scaled back in some other markets, such as the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which announced in June it would print only three days every week, instead of seven, beginning this fall.

“That’s what we want to stay away from, is breaking people’s habits,” Dadisman said.

HeraldNet.com will continue to evolve, he said. The company will discuss a pay model, similar to the approach of NYTimes.com and other news websites that have had success charging for access to some content.

“We haven’t taken that step, but that’s something we will look at,” Dadisman said.

Advertising dollars are a challenge. The Daily Herald Co. continues to tailor its advertising packages to meet the needs of businesses and customers, Dadisman said.

“Advertisers have more choices than ever and they’re targeting their audiences better,

so we need to help them do that,” he said.

Dadisman grew up in Georgia, where his father worked as a newspaper reporter, columnist and editor.

He graduated in 1982 from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in econom-ics. He received a master’s in economics from George Mason University.

Dadisman’s career has revolved around newspapers. He joined the Washington Post in 1989 as a circulation zone man-ager after seven years in man-agement positions with Knight–Ridder newspapers in North Carolina and Indiana. From 1997 through 2000, he was director of consumer marketing and later circulation director for the Houston Chronicle. He rejoined the Washington Post as vice president of circulation in January 2001.

HERALD from page 1 INLANDER from page 1

FIND YOUR 25-HOUR DAYMy 50 years on 15 small

publications can help you:• sell more ads & subs• simplify operations

• avoid bricks through your window• start/improve your website

Jay Becker Community Consulting

jaybecker@aol.com - (206) 790-9457

TWN AUGUST 2012 5

Chronicle, Centralia

The Chronicle Printing Division will begin print-ing the Daily World of

Aberdeen and a number of its affiliated weekly newspapers in August.

The Daily World cited eco-nomic conditions and its aging press equipment that is more than 40 years old in the decision to outsource printing of the six-day-a-week newspaper, its spe-cial sections, and its weeklies: the South Beach Bulletin, East County News, North Coast News and the Vidette in Montesano.

“We have successfully col-laborated with the Aberdeen Daily World on projects in the past and are happy to be able to

partner with them by providing the press work for their papers,” said Chronicle Publisher Christine Fossett, who called the agreement “a mutual win.”

The change will be effective Aug. 1. The announcement was made to Daily World employees on July 17.

“We believe forming this relationship with the Chronicle will assist us in streamlining our operation and continue to guar-antee high quality products into the future for our advertisers and our readers,” Daily World Publisher Bill Crawford said in announcing the change.

The change will mean the lay-off of seven Daily World print-ing and distribution employees.

The Chronicle’s advanced printing press, which regularly takes top printing awards among Northwest news publications of all sizes, will allow more vivid color, sharper images and crisper production, according to Jeff

Andersen, general manager of Chronicle Printing, a division of Lafromboise Communications Inc.

The Chronicle installed the first portion of its printing facil-ity in 1998 and added on in 2004 as it relocated to Galvin Road in the Port of Centralia..

“While we at Chronicle Printing are not happy to see any employees at the Daily World lose their jobs, we are grateful for their show of confidence in our ability to produce their daily newspaper and weekly products,” said Andersen.

The move is the second major collaboration between neighbor-ing newspapers to be announced in the state last month.

The Yakima Herald-Republic announced in July that it will be printing the Tri-City Herald starting in mid-August.

Yakima Herald-Republic

The Yakima Herald-Republic announced last month that it has secured

a long-term contract to print the Tri-City Herald newspaper and related products.

The Herald-Republic expects to begin printing the Kennewick-based daily newspaper by mid-August, said Herald-Republic Publisher Sharon J. Prill.

In a news release, Tri-City Herald publisher Gregg McConnell said his newspaper’s presses are more than 20 years old and would have needed substantial investment in future years.

“We’re excited by this new partnership that improves print-ing quality for our readers and provides new color opportunities for advertisers,” he said.

The new contract further establishes the Herald-Republic as the largest offset commercial printing facility in Central Washington. The company plans to hire additional staff and is making renovations to the down-town Yakima printing facility to accommodate the new contract, Prill said.

Still, the new contract will tighten up capacity at the Yakima plant

“We won’t be looking for additional big-volume papers (to print),” Prill said in an interview. “It allows us to focus on quality for long-term clients.”

Prill declined to reveal how much revenue commercial printing generates but said it is a “major part” of the company’s overall revenues.

“It allows us to finance our journalistic ambitions,” she said.

With a daily circulation of 30,765 and Sunday circulation of 36,730, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, the Tri-City Herald will be one of the Herald-Republic’s largest printing customers along with the Daily Record in Ellensburg and the Stranger in Seattle.

The deadline for filing an ownership statement with the U.S. Postal

Service is fast approaching. The filing and publication of this form is a requirement to maintaining periodical mailing privileges.

All publications with a peri-odicals permit must file by Oct.

1. Dailies must publish the form in the newspaper by Oct. 10 and non-dailies by Oct. 31.

The three-page form is called P.S. Form 3526 Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation, and can be downloaded at http://about.usps.com/forms/ps3526.pdf

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Register at wnpa.com/events

Aug. 8 BNC Announcement Letters & Convention Brochures MailedAug. 21 Registration deadline for Aug. 23 2x2 WebinarSept. 6 Early Bird Deadline for Convention RegistrationSept. 13 Convention Registration, Hotel Reservations DeadlineSept. 27-29 125th Annual Convention, Yakima

4 5

In his real-world presentation, Farrell will focus on problems and solutions. Come with an open mind. He designed this session as a wake-up call on how to sell, strategize and position your newspaper and your approach to meet the harsh realities of the information economy and the challenging economic climate of today’s

market place.• Learn why most sales

organizations are very good at a game no longer being played.

• Learn why selling by its very nature produces the exact opposite effect that is intended.

• Learn why your value proposition is valueless.

• Learn why you are paid and rewarded for your questions and not your answers and solutions.

• Learn how to get your customers to sell you on whether they have a compelling reason to

change.• If you are going to lose, learn how to lose

quickly, effortlessly and with a minimum expenditure of time.

Rick Farrell, presenter and keynote speaker.

Please refer to Page 2 for full bio.

Selling has Nothing to do with Selling

Friday 3:45 - 5pm * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Farrell stresses a non-selling posture that allows the sales person to play the role of a “change agent” rather than a product-centric transactional sales person. In this session, you will:

• Learn how to qualify new opportunities• Learn how to have a compelling value statement• Learn how to handle stalls and objections• Learn how to find and qualify problems• Learn how to sound different to gain attention

How to Generate New Business: Have a Systematic Sales Strategy

Ad reps and ad managers will see and participate in role-plays based on Farrell’s previous sessions, “Selling has Nothing to

do with Selling” and “How to Generate New Business.” In these fast-paced, entertaining practice interactions you’ll learn about how to best interact with customers when qualifying new opportunities, handling objections, articulating a compelling value statement,

and asking productive questions. With these practical experiences, attendees will be prepared to succeed in the existing markets in their communities.

Rick Farrell, presenter.

Practice New Concepts in Role Play!

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Donna Etchey’s session at last year’s convention drew top comments and requests for more on her sales tools. She’s chosen to focus on the pre-call planner,

a tool her sales reps use to avoid time-wasting cold calls. You’ll understand the value and the steps of a needs analysis — how to interview a client to learn about their business, and make it clear you are listening and want to help. With the information gained, you can develop ad ideas tailored to the client’s needs. “The objectives are to create interest, solve problems, and close the sale. If you focus on helping, not selling, you’ll improve your success ratios,” said Etchey.

Donna Etchey started with Sound

Publishing 16 years ago, as office manager of Poulsbo’s North Kitsap Herald, her hometown newspaper. She transitioned into a marketing rep position, learning from colleagues and experience, and was named publisher seven years ago. In 2012 she was entrusted with the same role at the Bainbridge Island Review. Etchey served two years as a trustee on the WNPA board.

Tool Up to Boost Sales

Saturday 10:15am - noon * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Entry form provided in convention packets at registration.Drawing will be held during Saturday morning’s breakfast.

Rick Farrell, presenter.

Are you looking for an effective approach to increasing local advertising on your newspaper’s website? And how to educate your advertisers about why that is a good idea? Look no further! In this team presentation, Sara Radka, marketing director of the Port Townsend Leader, will focus on the design and execution of a successful online advertising campaign. Marketing consultant Danielle Lothrop will share her process on the sales side, outlining how she integrates online advertising with a print campaign for comprehensive marketing packages for local Jefferson County businesses.

Sara Radka is marketing director

for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Since she joined the staff in October 2006, she has worked closely with the marketing team, while assisting in the development and maintenance of the Leader’s digital products.

Danielle Lothrop is a marketing

consultant for the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. She joined the staff in May 2010, bringing digital and social

media marketing savvy to the table. She has quickly and effectively integrated that expertise into the Leader’s menu of marketing services.

Selling High-Value Advertising on the Web

Friday 2 - 3:30pm * ad SaleS repreSentativeS

Must be present to win.

Centralia to print for AberdeenChronicle chief callsdeal a ‘mutual win’;seven to lose jobs

YHR pressadds TCHto job list

USPS deadline approaches

6 AUGUST 2012 TWN

June Zubrod, widow of Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s

former executive director Jerry Zubrod, died July 5, 2012 in Seattle. She was 89.

Born June Evelyn Byers on Jan. 29, 1923 in Camas, she was the daughter of Betsy May (Robson) and John Edward Byers. She graduated from Camas High School, and worked at the Red and White grocery store.

June met Gerald “Jerry” Francis Zubrod of Oelwein, Iowa, after his service in the Navy during World War II. They were married August 28, 1946 in Camas. During the early years of their marriage, June worked at Seattle First National Bank while Jerry

completed his journalism degree at the University of Washington.

In 1948 June became a full-time homemaker with the birth of their first daughter, while Jerry moved on to the Auburn Globe News, later to the Renton Record Chronicle, and finally to WNPA.

They raised three children, Julie, Jeff, and Jennifer.

June enjoyed traveling with

Jerry to numerous WNPA meetings and functions across Washington and the United States.

June treasured her family and home in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Seattle, where she lived in the same house for 53 years.

She is survived by her children Julie Ann Smith (Joe), Jeffry John (Doris

Boynton), Jennifer Louise; grandchildren Joey Smith (Melanie Wallschlaeger), Jessica Zubrod, John Smith, Jimmy Smith (Maybelle), and 6 great-grandchildren.

June is resting in peace with Jerry at Tahoma National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to King County Fire District 20, 12424 76th Ave S, Seattle WA 98178.

Judith Ree Hensle, a former Whitman County Gazette reporter, died in her home-

town of Mayville, N.D., on her 88th birthday, June 17, 2012. Covering sports and agriculture at the Colfax weekly was her third job out of journalism school, and she kept it for 40 years.

Hensle, the only child of John and Bertha (Johnson) Ree, graduated from the University of North Dakota and started as a reporter at the Steele County Press in Finley, N.D. When she took a leave of absence to travel in Europe, she wrote a regular column for the Press about her experiences.

Returning to the U.S., she stayed briefly in New York City, then did some reporting for a Denver newspaper and applied and was hired for the position in Colfax.

At the Gazette her agriculture coverage included a special an-nual edition on advances in the agricultural business.

She married Vince Hensle, a wheat farmer, on June 29, 1957. Judy Hensle’s activity in Colfax is reflected in the honors she received, such as the Chamber’s Outstanding Community Member award.

After Vince Hensle died, Judy returned to Mayville, where she rejoined her home church and wrote stories for the local news-paper. In 2010, she received the Alvin E. Austin Legacy Award from the University of North Dakota. Given to outstanding students and colleagues of Austin, a journalism professor, the award recognizes the recipi-ents’ professional accomplish-ments for community benefit.

She is survived by two daugh-ters, Bonnie (Greg) Brumley of Glendale, Ariz., and Linda (John) Bowers of Bellevue; and a son Robert (Valerie) Hensle of Colorado Springs; twelve grand-children and a great-grandchild.

The Hensles’ twin daughters, Christina and Catherine, and a son, John Mathew, died in infancy.

6 3

Get answers to your HR questions here, including handling exempt vs. salaried employees, independent contractor relationships, unpaid volunteers and interns, and a review of the appropriate processes for terminations and lay offs. Other topics may include social media policies, calculating

leave under state and federal laws, and for those with employees who work or make deliveries in the City of Seattle, how to meet requirements of Seattle’s new paid sick-leave act. Come with your questions.

Boris Gaviria is a labor and employment attorney with an emphasis

on litigation, at Davis Wright Tremaine, Bellevue. He regularly defends employers

against claims of race, gender, and other forms of discrimination, including sexual harassment, and litigates wrongful discharge and class action cases as well as general commercial litigation. Gaviria is fluent in Spanish and active in civic organizations.

HR Minefield: Traps and Tricks for the Unwary

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * PubliSherS, ad managerS, editorS

In this annual opportunity for give-and-take discussion with fellow publishers, Imbert Matthee will lead with bottom-line topics — ideas for improved revenue, cost-cutting, personnel management, anything that has bolstered revenue in your market. Each person who registers is invited to bring one or more ideas — success stories, ideas you would like input about, as well as suggestions

that would help WNPA better meet the needs of your newspaper. By Sept. 14, please send an email to Matthee at publisher@waitsburgtimes.com with your thoughts. The discussion will follow the topics that have the most traction with people in the room.

Imbert Matthee and his wife, Karen, purchased the Waitsburg Times in

late 2009. Prior to buying the newspaper, Imbert had worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as a business writer, Pacific

Rim correspondent and columnist until 1998, when he joined Clear Path International, a nonprofit cause assisting survivors of land mine accidents in Asia. Imbert joined the WNPA board in 2010. Karen worked at the Herald in Everett and the Dallas Times-Herald in Texas, and has founded or served as editor of several magazines.

The Bottom Line: Publishers Round Table

Saturday 10:15am - noon * PubliSherS, ad managerS

Whether in the field or with a team in an office setting, many of today’s workers are side-by-side with mem-bers of four

generations — soon to be five. Each genera-tion has preferred forms of communication, motivators, and recognition. Understanding and appreciating the factors that shape each generation can assist with everything from getting the story to recruitment, retention, and building strong teams and leaders. In this inter-active workshop, you will see demonstrations of viewpoints from each generation.  Through discussion and role-play about the generations,

you will gain insight into what influenced them and understand strategies you can apply im-mediately to create successful interactions and stronger teams. You will laugh, learn, and test new strategies that will “click” and make your life easier.  

Karen McNamara and Robert McNamara in their

multi-generational business, Click Consultants, convey specialized knowledge while engaging their passion for speaking and generating an audience connection. Karen served 25 years as a Navy Nurse Corps officer, and holds a bachelor’s of science in nursing and a master’s in education. For the past 17 years she has focused on education, curriculum and leadership development, working with individuals and

executives to develop teams and reach desired outcomes.

Robert McNamara has been a technical designer for fire stations and training

towers at Rice Fergus Miller Architecture and Planning for the past three years. He holds a bachelor’s of science in architecture and a master’s in business administration. He has several years’ management experience in recreation and safety.

Hiring & Managing a Multigenerational Staff

Friday 3:45 - 5Pm * PubliSherS, ad managerS, editorS

Learn about the latest developments and tips on making public records requests that get results. Earl-Hubbard has illuminating records stories and the answers your questions about how to make a public records request. She represents WNPA members and other newspapers across the state.

Michele Earl-Hubbard, a renowned media law and open government

law attorney, is President of Allied Law Group. She has been named to Best Lawyers in America for First Amendment and Media Law every year since 2006 and also for First Amendment and Media Law Litigation in 2012.  Her law firm, Allied Law Group (“ALG”), which she co-founded in 2007, was named to the list of “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News and World Reports

every year since the rankings began (2010) in the area of Media Law.  Earl-Hubbard has been the main hotline attorney for WNPA newspapers for many years. Prior to starting ALG, for 11 years she was with Davis Wright Tremaine’s Seattle office, first as associate and then as partner.

Making Public Records Requests

Visual communication isn’t limited to your cover pages. The same tools that enhance the design of Page One or section fronts can strengthen your publication’s inside pages — even if they’re stacked with ads. Working with tab and broadsheet examples, Pattison will provide ideas about how to improve design throughout your newspaper. He’ll include an overview of useful

tools, and offer insights about employing headlines and photos as design elements, using color effectively. and making the kinds of decisions that lead to dramatic pages. 

Neal Pattison is executive editor of the Daily Herald in Everett and

its website, HeraldNet. A founding member of the Society for News Design, he has had a long involvement with SND, including a term as president in 1997. He

has taught journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. He encourages all journalists in his newsroom—writers, editors, artists and photographers—to value page design as a form of visual editing. Pattison has been a senior editor at newspapers in Spokane, Seattle and Albuquerque. 

Page Design: Inside/Outside

Friday 3:45 - 5Pm * editorS, rePorterS, deSignerS, PhotograPherS

The growth of the Internet has made reporting and connecting with readers

easier than ever before. But with the Internet comes new questions. When can you use a photo found on the web? How should you monitor online

comments?  What should you know about social networking? What is a website terms of use? You’ll get answers to these and other questions about Internet and other hot legal issues.

Sarah Duran is a media and intellectual

property lawyer with Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle. Her involvement in media legal matters includes

assisting with access disputes, opposing subpoenas issued to journalists, and defending First Amendment rights and defamation claims. Her intellectual property work includes trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and enforcement. She also handles litigation for commercial clients.

Hot Topics: Cyber Liability and More

Saturday 10:15am - noon * editorS

PASSINGS

Late WNPA leader Zubrod’s widow passes at 89

Ex-ColfaxjournalistHensle dies

CreativeOutlet.com

TWN AUGUST 2012 7

n Bob Bolerjack has joined the Snohomish County PUD as the media and public relations liaison. He had been with the Herald in Everett since 1987, covering sports, news, and for the past 10 years, serving as editorial page editor. n The Mukilteo Beacon’s

newest intern is Kevin Chaney, a recent graduate of Mariner High School. Chaney is covering general news until he leaves for college, where he plans to major in pharmacy and minor in journalism. The Beacon offers internships to students and recent graduates of Mariner and Kamiak high schools who are interested in journalism.n Heather Perry, a student

at Pacific Lutheran University, is completing her WNPA Foundation internship at the

Peninsula Gateway in Gig Harbor. The newspaper also served as a case-study site for Jon Roper, a student at Tacoma Community College. Roper, 18, spent several afternoons in the newsroom to gather information for a paper he is writing as a senior project on the media. Because a vehicle-skateboarder accident occurred during one of his site visits, Roper was able to observe the newspaper’s process of covering a breaking news story. The Gateway published a column about his observations of the teamwork that results in the final product.n Tom Kurdy was named

to the Master Editor-Publisher Hall of Fame by Montana Newspaper Association in June. He is the former publisher of the Columbia Basin Herald in Moses Lake and the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Mont. Both newspapers are owned by Hagadone Corp., where Kurdy spent his entire career, retiring in

2010. Nicole Crapps, 21, landed her first journalism job at the Herald. Crapps is working as a reporter, copy editor and page designer. She graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane. Zachary Van Brunt is also new on the Herald’s reporting staff. Most recently he was a reporter at the Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle, where he covered north Okanogan and Ferry counties. He graduated from Washington State University, where he studied journalism and political science.n Erica Largent is interning

at the Whitman County Gazette in Colfax, having completed her freshman year at the University of Washington. Largent wrote a column for the Gazette about her experiences during Japan’s 2011 earthquake, which occurred while she and her family were living in Tokyo. Largent has lived overseas with her family for most of her life, while her father, Dale Largent, serves assignments with the U.S. State Department. He grew up in Colfax. n Nisqually Valley News in

Yelm hired Judy Orr to work at the front desk, taking legal and classified ads, answering phones and helping with other work. Orr has wanted to work at the newspaper since she moved to Yelm in 2007 and received her first shopper in the mail. She had applied for every opening since then, and believes the new skills she acquired by going back to school helped her get the front-desk job. Also new at the NVN is reporter Steven Wyble. A 2010 graduate of Eastern Washington University, Wyble’s first job out of school was at the Columbia Basin Herald in Moses Lake, where one of his favorite beats was education. He’s covering education at NVN, as well as Rainier City Council and Rainier School District. Wyble has fam-ily in Grapeview, and is pleased to be closer to them.n Emily Wooldridge of Entiat

is interning at the Wenatchee World this summer. Among her assignments is writing posts for Mike Irwin’s weekly business column while Irwin is on vaca-tion. n Eric Pryne, business report-

er at the Seattle Times, won first place in the National Association of Real Estate Editors’ annual journalism awards. His award was for a story on the Bullitt Center under construction in Seattle. Former business reporter Kristi Heim received a second place award for her story on the design of the Gates Foundation’s headquarters near Seattle Center. Both awards were in the daily-newspaper commercial real-estate reporting category. In the weekly newspaper category, Jeanne Lang Jones of the Puget Sound Business Journal won first place for her story about how developers use a federal immi-gration program to raise money for projects.

JOHN L. FOURNIER, JR.

FOURNIERMedia Services, Inc.Brokerage — Consulting

Appraisals

P.O. Box 750Prosser, WA 99350

Voice 206/409-9216 Fax 509/786-1779

2 7

This thought-provoking, highly interactive presentation is designed to challenge traditional ideas about engaging with customers and others in your community. You’ll come to understand a new point of view about what customers want from you and why, and how to best serve their needs and the needs of your newspaper. Farrell will offer a refreshing change to how best to support your customer relationships in the long term.

Richard P. Farrell is president of Tangent Knowledge Systems. Having

been responsible for sales and business development for nearly 25 years, he brings a tremendous depth of experience and results to his audiences. Farrell’s passionate, provocative and interactive style encourages audience participation, learning, and improvement while providing practical, time-tested information. He has presented for Inland Press and other associations

as well as Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, helping them optimize their performance by assessing their sales people, sales processes, management structure and strategies. In addition to an upcoming book, “Selling has Nothing to do with Selling,” Farrell has written dozens of articles on sales topics for magazines and newspapers.

Keynote: Customer Relationships

Building Online Community

Max Heath, postal expert extraordinaire, will share the latest issues, such as the rules change allowing electronic subscriptions to be counted on postal circulation statement, Intelligent Mail barcode requirements, what to do about post office and plant closings to protect service, the rules change allowing simplified address mail on city routes, possible end of 6-day delivery, mandatory address loca-tions, FSS, SOX, DUOs and PBV (attend to understand these strange acronyms and how

they may affect you). Handouts provided for reference.

Max Heath is a semi-retired postal

consultant for Publish-ing Group of America and Landmark Com-munity Newspapers, Inc., Shelbyville, KY. For 21 years he was executive editor and for 23 years corporate circulation director as well. Now in his 29th year as chair of the

Postal Committee of the National Newspaper Association, Heath writes a monthly Postal Tips column for Publisher’s Auxiliary. He was named to the Postal Service Mailer’s Techni-cal Advisory Committee (MTAC) represent-ing NNA in 1989, and is also on the national Periodical Operations Advisory Committee and the rule-making Periodicals Advisory Group. He has received five career awards from NNA, and the Postal Service presented him a Special Achievement Award in 1998. He conducts seminars as part of NNA’s outreach to the industry.

Breaking News: Postal Issues

Our panel of experienced editors will discuss and answer audience questions

about a range of topics: How to prepare questions for and conduct a tough interview, how to work your sources, strategies for dealing with fallout after a story runs —like how to respond when you run into someone who says your story misquoted them. Bring questions about stories you’re working on or about past situations you’d like to have handled differently. Be prepared to see the discussion travel into areas of audience interest.

Patrick J. Sullivan, moderator, has

been an editor at the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader since 1989. Patrick’s first job in the community newspaper business was printer’s

devil, an era when his recent job title of new media director would have been pure imagination. A University of Montana graduate, Patrick chairs the WNPA Better Newspaper Contest Committee.

Keven Graves is editor and publisher

of the Nisqually Valley News in Yelm. He joined the newspaper in 1999 and was promoted to publisher in 2006. Previously he had worked at newspapers the Whidbey-News Times and Coupeville Examiner. He earned his journalism degree in 1987. A WNPA trustee for five years, Graves joined the executive committee last year as Second Vice President. He also has been active on the WNPA Foundation board.

Josh Johnson has been editor

and publisher of the Liberty Lake Splash, his hometown newspaper, since 2004. Johnson relinquished his role

as Splash editor this past spring, a few months after he launched the Current, a monthly publication for the greater Spokane Valley. Prior to purchasing the Splash he served as opinion page editor of the Benton County (Ark.) Daily Record. Johnson holds a journalism degree from John Brown University in Arkansas.

Kasia Pierzga, editor and publisher

of the Whidbey Examiner in Coupeville, has worked as a writer her entire career. Her background includes serving as assistant editor of the Port Townsend Leader and as a reporter at the Skagit Valley Herald in Mount Vernon and the Whidbey-News Times in Oak Harbor. She purchased the Examiner from its five founding partners in 2006.

Saturday 8:30 - 10am * EditorS, rEportErS

Practical Reporting

Reporters, are you confident behind the keyboard but less so behind a camera? In this session, you’ll learn how to set up a dynamic shot – how to direct people and get a good expression, where you should stand, and, once you’re back in the office, how to select and crop to get the best images for your story. Our presenter has won plenty of BNC awards, and he knows your job. Expect an email from him soon after registration is due.

David Dick has been a professional photographer for over a decade

in the beautiful Kittitas Valley. His experience ranges from capturing photojournalistic images for the Daily Record in Ellensburg to his current assignments shooting landscapes, portraits, weddings and just about anything with David Dick Photography. He trained as both a fine arts photographer and a

journalist at Central Washington University. He conveys his expertise in these fields with a well-rounded portfolio and many photography awards.

Think Like a Photographer

Saturday 10:15am - NooN * rEportErS, photographErS, dESigNErS

Friday 10:15 - 10:45am * EvEryoNE

Learn how to use Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter to boost traffic to your newspaper and website. “It’s all about making the product stronger, because we still believe print is our bread and butter,” said Whitworth. Dutton will share her experience at creating opportunities for hyperlocal engagement for reporters at Sound Publishing’s Washington newspapers, applying expertise gained while developing customer-contact strategies in other industries.

Tyler Whitworth As an advertising

consultant and website administrator for the Nisqually Valley News, Tyler Whitworth has developed an interactive and growing online community since 2008.

Tyler believes that print is still the star of the show and will remain that way, but recognizes that social media plays an important supporting role. He will talk about how the Internet and social media can be transformed into powerful tools that allow the newspaper to further connect and interact with its readers. He served as a panelist for the 2011 convention.

Elizabeth Dutton joined Black Press

as Vice President of Digital Operations in early 2011.  Responsible for online aspects of the company’s 75+ newspapers, she ensures that, at a local level, reporters are able to post quality content quickly and engage with readers online.  She also manages the online classified business, which follows the hyper-local model.  Most recently Dutton worked at Amazon.com in their books business. Previously she spent eight years focusing on customer contact as a strategy and implementation consultant in Canada and the United Kingdom. 

Bob Bolerjack

CAREER MOVES

- - - - Advertising- - - -

8 AUGUST 2012 TWN

www.alliedlawgroup.com • Seattle • Olympia

Proud to be the Hotline Attorneys for WNPA and its Members

Helping you tell the stories that need to be told.

THANK YOUTO SPONSORS OF THE

125TH ANNUAL WNPA CONVENTION

SEPTEMBER 27-29RED LION HOTEL • YAKIMA

www.wnpa.com/events

With Whitworth’s goal of driving traffic to all the news-papers’ media, this is a session about building community, on-line and in print, and enhancing the newspaper’s brand.

More for publishersPublishers also will find

national postal guru Max Heath ready to help anticipate and solve postal problems; attorney Boris Gaviria of Davis Wright Tremaine prepared to present tips for staying out of trouble in the HR minefield; and mom-son duo Karen McNamara and Robert McNamara enacting clues to successfully managing a multi-generational staff.

Imbert Matthee, publisher of the Waitsburg Times, will lead a Publishers Round Table on ideas to improve the bottom line. (Attendees are invited to send topics to Matthee, publisher@waitsburgtimes.com, or bring them to the session.)

For editorial staffMichele Earl-Hubbard of

Allied Law Group opens the editorial track with a session on making successful public records requests. Always ranked “high value for my time,” this

session will provide informative examples of how to achieve your goals with records requests.

Neal Pattison of the Herald in Everett takes on “Page Design: Inside/Outside,” geared to reporters and editors who design pages. Pattison’s session about visual storytelling drew “high value” reviews last year, and this topic will be no different. He’ll demonstrate design tools that result in dynamic pages, whether they are inside pages stacked with ads or section fronts.

On Saturday, reporters have a half-day clinic.

In “Practical Reporting,” a panel of editors will talk about how they handle situations common to small-town report-ing—working sources, preparing for a tough interview, and answering that pointed question at the grocery store. Come with your issues in mind.

“Think Like a Photographer” puts award-winning shooter David Dick, formerly of the Daily Record in Ellensburg, in front of the room and behind the lens. By the end of his 105 min-ute session, reporters will have seen him in action, from setting up the shot to selecting and cropping for the best image, and gleaned useful ideas for improv-

ing photos. Bring your camera.While reporters are improving

their camera skills, Sarah Duran of Davis Wright Tremaine will prepare editors to make knowl-edgeable decisions in the world of cyber liability. Questions on other legal issues are welcome.

Please address any questions about the sessions to Mae Waldron, mwaldron@wnpa.com or (206) 634-3838, ext. 2.

Networking and awardsPrincipal sponsors of the con-

vention are SmallTownPapers, Davis Wright Tremaine, Allied Law Group and the Washington Potato Commission.

At Friday’s WNPA member-ship breakfast, sponsored by TownNews.com, WNPA Executive Director Bill Will and WNPA President Jana Stoner of the Northern Kittitas County Tribune, Cle Elum, will speak about the organization’s past year and the year ahead.

Will also will present lifetime awards at Friday’s awards lun-

cheon and the Better Newspaper Contest awards at Friday’s din-ner, sponsored by Rotary Offset Press.

A special, post-awards reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres starts at 10 p.m. in the hotel’s Garden Terrace.

Only those at Saturday’s breakfast, sponsored by Pacific Publishing, will have a chance to win the Canon EOS Rebel TS digital camera donated by WNPA (must be present to win!).

Register for the convention by Sept. 6 for the best deal (don’t wait until Sept. 14, when you’ll spend more).

Advertising managers or publishers are urged to register at wnpa.com/events for a 15-minute appointment to discuss their newspaper and rate card with representatives from Oregon Newspaper Advertising Company. Appointment times are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday only. Register by Sept. 20.

Make your hotel reservations at the Red Lion Yakima Center, 800-733-5466 or 509 248-5900, by Sept. 13.

Ask for WNPA’s rate of $104.95 for a single, $114.95 for a double.

copy of your newspaper/publications showing in the photo. And, to make it a bit more fun, I am offering a reward for the Best Staff Photo: an enlarged framed print to hang in the win-ning newspaper’s office. Deadline for submitting your staff photo will be Aug. 31. To be included in our anniversary project, don’t miss that deadline. We are also interested in submissions from you to include in our history tab. If you have information, pho-tos or historic facts, please send them – along with your staff photo – to Mae (mwaldron@wnpa.com) or myself (jana@nkctribune.com). A shoutout of thanks to those that have already contributed their items. We’d appreciate receiving your items by the Aug. 31 deadline to help with our production schedule.

From the Board RoomThe WNPA Board of

Trustees has been hard at work since the beginning of the year looking for new revenue ideas for our association. In late June, we held a brainstorming retreat to discuss our find-ings. At the same time, we have been consulting with WNPA past presidents and members about solutions for sustaining the associa-tion into the future. Without a crystal ball telling us what the future needs of our members will be as our industry model changes, it’s been a challenge to narrow down to exactly what we need to focus on. There are several items we are finalizing details on this month. Watch for the unveiling soon! See you in September!

Unlike other sales training that reminds you of things

you forgot or sales training that gave a new twist to previous ideas, the non-selling posture Rick taught forced people out of their comfort zone enough to truly capture their attention.

Everyone understood the value of what Rick was explain-ing but until he began role-playing, they didn’t realize how significant the mental shift was to their traditional ways.

Like most sales people, until

they try it and see results, they don’t believe it.

Many of our sales people began to report success with the techniques they learned. They got the attention of their peers that were sitting on the fence.

Greg WardVP of Sales, Downing Display

Cincinnati, Ohio

ON THE WEBRick Farrell, Tangent

Knowledge Systems:tangentknowledge.com

WNPA from page 1

Testimonial from Ohio

STONERfrom page 2

WNPA members attending the 2011 convention gathered in front of the Holiday Inn Downtown Everett prior to the Better Newspaper Contest Awards Dinner. To join the 2012 photo, at 5:45 p.m. Sept. 28, 2012, please be in the lobby of the Red Lion Hotel - Yakima Center.

Patrick Sullivan/Port Townsend Leader

TWN AUGUST 2012 9

You’ve heard me say it time and time again. Julie, in Minnesota, even

wrote to me a couple of years ago to thank me for “saving her life” after convincing her to add backup drives to all her machines.

So it is with much chagrin (I’ve been waiting almost 20 years for an opportunity to use “chagrin” in a column) that I admit that this doctor is his own worst patient.

That’s right. On July 2, two days before my country’s Independence celebration, my five year old iMac began to crawl.

To be completely frank, I thought the computer was about two years old. Between comput-ers at my home and office, not to mention laptops, iPads and iPhones, I have a hard time remembering when I got what.

I did what any self-respecting guru would do at a sign of slow-down. I restarted. Upon restart, I was greeted by a gray screen. You know the one. The one that eventually turns to blue, then fills with folders and drives.

The problem was that I didn’t see any folders. Or drives. All I saw was a gray screen.

No problem, I thought. I pulled out my handy Disk Warrior CD, restarted the computer, then ran the utility that can fix just about anything wrong with a Mac, other than a “fried” drive or faulty memory chip.

Disk Warrior found the errant drive, then began a process of checking the hard disk for problems. It found one. Then another. Before it was done, Disk Warrior found dozens of bad sectors on the drive.

I began the process in Disk Warrior to restore the files on the bad disk and copy them over to my backup drive. I quickly learned there were two problems.

First, the files and folders on the hard drive would not trans-fer. Every time I tried to move a folder, the computer locked up and had to be restarted.

Second, I soon learned that my hard drive wasn’t the only thing destined to make my holi-day week less than celebratory. Something had happened to my LaCie external backup drive. It, too, was history. I quickly tried to restore it using Data Rescue III, by Prosoft. But it was too little, too late.

Never one to give in to hard-ware hyperbole, I didn’t panic. I had a second backup in the “cloud.”

I get asked quite often about clouds. Clouds are nothing more than computer servers in a remote location that you use as if they were in your own build-ing. My data was being stored on a computer up in the cloud

somewhere.Much to my chagrin (there’s

that word again), I quickly learned that my space in the cloud was full and hadn’t backed up anything in a few weeks.

After a full day trying to res-urrect my critical information, I realized this drive was dead. Kaput. No files were going to be saved.

Fortunately, I have a third backup. It’s a Western Digital external USB drive that I used to backup my Time Capsule backup (original backup drive that had gone bad). For PC users, Time Capsule is a utility built into Macs since OS 10.6. This means it’s been around for a couple of years. Time Capsule automatically backs up your entire computer and external drives throughout the day. At any time, you can go back to any point in history and restore your computer to that point.

I make it a habit to leave this drive at my home, in case some type of emergency destroys my computer and all its drives. Newspapers that have dealt with fires know of what I speak.

Every couple of weeks, I bring this drive to the office and do a complete clone of the original backup.

So at least I have my informa-tion from two weeks ago. This meant I could restore most of my email and critical files, but anything I’ve saved on my com-puter over the past two weeks is history.

I really am mad at myself. After spending three full days restoring my computer, you have no idea how mad that is.

What can you learn from my mistakes? Plenty. Let me share what I relearned, never to forget again:

1. Have some type of backup device for each computer in

your office. Most of mine are Firewire drives, but there are other types available.

2. Have an off-site backup plan. There are many of these around. I was using a popular application called Dropbox. I just installed a new cloud backup called “Just Cloud” that gets great reviews for both Macs and PCs. Unlimited backup space for one computer runs around $10 per month.

3. Make sure that Time Machine (if you’re a Mac user), your backup drive and off-site backups are all working cor-rectly. I thought mine were. I was wrong.

Like Julie in Minnesota, someone will write me soon to let me know that I’ve “saved his life” by reminding him to get his backup program up to date.

Reach Kevin Slimp at kevin@kevinslimp.com.

CrashPlan is a favorite of many Mac and PC users because of its ability to backup on-site and off-site at the same time. Individual unlimited licenses available for $3 each per month. Multiple licenses available for as little as $6 per month at www.crashplan.com.

Kevin SlimpDirector,Institute of Newspaper Technology

ON THE WEBCrashPlan:

www.crashplan.com

Crash: My loss becomes your lesson

EDIT from page 1

editor Bob Bolerjack, who left the company in June.

Jackson wants to continue Bolerjack’s legacy, with the editorial page serving as “a real platform for substantive issues -- not just politics, but societal issues,” he said.

Jackson was set to start work at the Herald July 20.

His is a familiar name in Snohomish County. He is the son of Sen. Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson. His mother, Helen Jackson, still lives in Everett.

One of Jackson’s first tasks as edito-rial page editor will be vetting candidates and writing en-dorsements for key races in the primary elec-tion, publisher David Dadisman said.

Jackson also will be meeting with community leaders and looking for new ways to engage

readers through print and digital products.

Jackson was drawn to the Herald because of its commit-ment to reporting news that’s relevant and vital to its com-munity, he said.

Newspapers face unique challenges and increased competition due to the chang-ing media landscape, but the Herald and its owner, The Washington Post Co., have the people and the resources to adapt and thrive, he said.

“I think, in many ways, it’s an exciting, scary time when you’re in the vanguard of this evolving new media, and the key is a paper like the Herald provides a critical public service by providing essential knowledge.”

Since the announcement, the Herald’s offices have been flooded with positive reactions from inside and outside the company, Dadisman said.

Jackson’s firm grounding in local issues made him a strong

candidate, Dadisman said.“We wanted somebody who

knew the area and who could start off running right away,” he said.

People may recognize Jackson as a writer at Crosscut, an online news magazine based in Seattle. He also has served as a speechwriter for governors Chris Gregoire and Gary Locke, and has filled other public service roles.

Jackson lives in Seattle with his wife, Laurie Werner.

When it comes tobackups, do as I say and not as I do

Peter Jackson

10 AUGUST 2012 TWN

The Associated Press

A federal appeals court rul-ing requiring executions be fully open to public

witnesses — including the inser-tion of IVs for lethal injection — could still have ramifications in two Western states that have kept part of their inmate execu-tions from public view.

Washington state officials are still reviewing the ruling and say they have no immediate plans to change their execution procedures because they have no executions scheduled. Officials in Montana, meanwhile, say they haven’t reviewed the rul-ing because they also have no executions scheduled.

Arizona and Idaho, where the legal case originated, changed their procedures in two recent executions as a result of the ruling. But whether a legal fight over the issue now looms in Washington and Montana remains to be seen.

“This is certainly something we’re evaluating right now,” said Sherilyn Peterson, a defense attorney who has previously challenged Washington’s death penalty protocol on behalf of condemned inmates.

“It’s a good time because there isn’t an execution sched-uled, so if there is going to be a case, better to do it now than wait until the last minute,” she said.

Today, nearly all of the 34 states using lethal injection restrict access to half of every execution, shielding from view the moment the condemned en-ters the death chamber and when the IV lines are inserted.

Yakima Herald-Republic

Sunnyside’s city govern-ment has received some good advice from state

Auditor Brian Sonntag and the state Attorney General’s office: The more open the government, the better the government, especially when it involves the taxpayer’s dime.

Recall that the Auditor’s Office on June 29 gave a draft report of a private audit exit interview to the city; the audit studied the city’s 2010-11 finances, and some council members expected the report to find fault with how money has been handled.

We don’t know if that was the case, thanks to a crafty gam-bit by Interim City Manager Frank Sweet. When a repre-sentative of the state Auditor’s

Office presented the report, Sweet scheduled the meetings with council members in shifts to avoid having a quorum. A meeting with a quorum would have required a public notice — and opened the possibility that the public would learn how its elected officials are spending its money.

Neither Sonntag nor Tim Ford, the open government om-budsman for the state Attorney General’s Office, would go so far as calling the separate meetings illegal. But both did recommend that the interview should be public. Ford sug-gested a do-over; Sonntag did not. He said if he had been asked beforehand, he would have recommended the meet-ings be open. “Any time they’re meeting in a professional set-

ting or a setting to discuss city business, I’m saying the doors ought to be open,” Sonntag told the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Sunnyside officials have had their recent problems with gov-ernance. Earlier this year, the city manager and police chief suddenly announced their re-tirements; city officials clashed over a $50,000 outside review of the police department; City Hall staff and supervisors formed a union, but negotia-tions have gone slowly.

Mark Gervasi, the city manager who retired after only 18 months on the job, offered to stay longer and provide conti-nuity on the job, but the council brought in Sweet, who had his own controversial departure as Selah city supervisor. Council members never explained why

they took this course.And now they won’t explain

why they don’t want details of the audit to go public, except to rely on the argument that it’s not illegal. But that doesn’t mean it’s right. While some council members fear the report will make them look bad, their secrecy combined with past controversies make them look worse. Council members would do well to heed the sound advice coming from two state agencies and let the public know how its money is being managed.

Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Sharon J. Prill, Bob Crider, Frank Purdy and Karen Troianello. Reprinted with permission.

Public should know how Sunnyside spends money

Commentators, curmud-geons, sages, analysts, columnists, pundits,

experts, gurus and other species of the learned, the enlightened and the astute have all far outstripped my abilities to extract moral, ethical and ills-of-society lessons from the sordid Penn-State-Jerry-Sandusky-Joe-Paterno debris, so I’ll just stick to exploring a weakness of journalism.

I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but rather pointing out that we – reporters, editors, writ-ing coaches, et al. – too often want to believe in the goodness of mankind.

As much as we swaggeringly boast of our thick skins, our hard edges, our skepticism-bordering-on-sneering-distrust, our rejec-tion of the status quo and our disdain for authority, we jour-nalists are, deep in our hearts, idealists, even dreamers. As proof, I offer what I once over-heard an editor say to a group of his subordinates: “Every day, I think we’re going to produce the perfect newspaper, and every day, we fall short, but every day, I wake up and think, ‘This is the day we’re going to make it happen.’”

Even those of us who didn’t care for JoePa’s brand of sanc-

timony – the football coach who tran-scended sport to become the glowing symbol of a renowned university – acknowledged that he won without vio-lating NCAA rules on recruiting.

Our mistake is that we ap-plied his honesty and integrity in coaching to his whole life. We saw him do good things for his university – he raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and not for sports teams, but for education at Penn State – so we assumed he deserved to be revered.

The problem, it seems, is that he thought so too. And so, when a true moral crisis surfaced, one that could have damaged his carefully cultivated image of perfection, he choked like a freshman cornerback. He panicked. He played a desperate, gambling defense, the kind that breaks down eventually.

I’m not saying all journalists deserve blame for not seeing the flesh-and-blood, flawed Joe behind the impervious bronze

statue. Certainly, Sara Ganim of the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, who doggedly followed and uncovered Sandusky’s trail of evil, showed that a skeptical, aggressive reporter still can do more than just get good stories. She can reroute history.

What I am saying, however, is that, in general, we journalists too often fail to question the images presented for public consumption.

And many of our failures are in the realm of sports.

As a new (can’t say young; I was 28 at the time) reporter in Florida, I failed to heed my own conscience when I witnessed a well-respected manager of a Little League baseball team browbeat his young players, and I wrote nothing about it.

In the 30-plus years that have passed since that event, I have rationalized my irresponsibil-ity in a million ways: Maybe he was just having a bad day. Maybe the players’ parents had pleaded with him to be the ultimate tough-love manager. Maybe he was handed the most incorrigible collection of bratty boys and asked to straighten them out. Maybe, maybe … maybe if I had written about his borderline-cruelty, he would have been tossed as a manager,

and some boys who grew up scared and humiliated would have better lives today.

A dozen years ago, I was reading a story about a perenni-al-championship summer-league softball team of teenage girls. After 15 or 18 glowing para-graphs detailing all that success, one feisty girl spoke out, saying she had quit the team because of the relentless pressure.

She loved playing, and she loved her teammates; but she said there were so many games, so many tournaments, that the sport had become a grind. She flat-out blamed the coaches.

It was one paragraph of bright candor obscured by clouds of cotton candy.

I said to the reporter, “This girl comes across as thought-ful, credible, not a whiner. You should look into whether the coaches are demanding too much, turning a sport into drudgery.”

The sportswriter said he wouldn’t do that story. Disappointed, I pitched the same idea to that newspaper’s investigative reporter, an avid sports fan with a heightened conscience.

He too turned it down.If we continue to think that

sports are nothing more than di-

versions, not serious enough for serious journalism, we are invit-ing the serial depravity of an-other Sandusky, the narcissistic cowardice of another Paterno, the engorged self-images of more adults seeking glory by pressuring kids who just want to enjoy playing.

We’re journalists. We need to be alert, curious, suspi-cious, skeptical. Dangers lurk everywhere, not just in dark alleys, but also in sun-splashed stadiums outside of which stand bronze statues. Examining a statue is fruitless; it is the human being who must be tested for feet of clay.

THE FINAL WORD: The mere sight of some incorrect usages gives me a headache, and one of the near-lethal ones is this spelling of the adverb: “publically.”

Are dictionaries so far out of vogue that no one bothers any longer to look up the word and see that it is “publicly”?

Jim Stasiowski, writing coach for The Dolan Company, welcomes your questions or comments. Call him at 775 354-2872 or write to 2499 Ivory Ann Drive, Sparks, Nev. 89436.

Jim Stasiowksi

In the wake of Paterno: Where did our skepticism go?

EDITORIALExecutionsruling mayaffect state

A creative viewpoint of a record-breaking race won second place for Mike Dashiell and the Sequim Gazette in the Color Sports Action Category, Circulation Group III of the 2011 Washington Better Newspaper Contest.

Michael Dashiell/Sequim Gazette

WINNER AT THE GUN