A House panel rejected a bill Thursday that would have allowed governments to post required notices about public meetings, budgets and other matters on their websites instead of purchasing ads in newspapers.

“I simply do not trust government to keep me informed,” said Rep. Bruce Wheeler, D-Tucson. “That’s so vital, and I could not possibly support this kind of legislation.”

Read the Full Story>>

A Franklin County judge has ordered a state board to pay nearly $26,000 in attorney fees and court costs for violating Ohio’s open-meetings law.

Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott ruled last month that the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors broke the law by meeting in private in August to discuss a Columbus funeral home’s license application.

Read the Full Story>>

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati ruled Monday that two Christians had their free speech rights violated and should have been allowed to display signs and distribute leaflets promoting their religious beliefs at the Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival in 2009.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals three-judge panel ruled unanimously that a festival policy against solicitation from individuals who were not working at a booth was too extensive, unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment. The panel reversed an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Rose from the Southern District of Ohio.

Read the Full Story>>

Just as soon as you’re sure about a new trend, a survey comes out and says, “Not so fast. That’s not exactly true.”

For instance, take a look at the “givens” in this year’s political landscape. Young voters are increasingly turning to the Internet for campaign news, right? Wrong. But at least Twittter and Facebook play big roles when it comes to getting campaign information, right? Wrong. And nobody but senior citizens gets their news from newspapers anymore, right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

For starters take a look at the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey released earlier this month. The survey of over 1,500 adults (read that 18 plus) conducted January 4-8 found that young adults—18-29 year olds—who get their campaign news online declined from a high of 42 percent in 2008 to just 29 percent today.

Read the Full Story>>

The editors of the new “Cuffed” tabloid called police when a convicted sex-offender who goes by the alias “Bubba” came looking for them, police said.

A Huron police report said the most recent issue of the local crime tabloid featured Roy “Bubba” Lamb II, of Fremont, as a registered sex offender living in Sandusky County.

Lamb, apparently angered by his appearance in the tabloid, started to track down the men responsible, according to police. “Cuffed” does not list the names of its staff.

Read the Full Story>>

The value of public records is sometimes difficult to convey. Here is a case that makes it crystal clear:

For many months, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and American Electric Power fought us over releasing records in AEP’s rate case. Through sources and relentless persistence by business reporter Dan Gearino and this newspaper, the agency released documents showing that the proposal would place an inordinate burden on small-business owners.

Using internal memos from the PUCO staff and other public documents, we published a story on Dec. 4 predicting astronomical rate hikes of 30 percent to 40 percent for small businesses.

That day, a quiet campaign was launched to discredit Gearino and the newsroom. Such campaigns are not unusual, because some subjects of such stories don’t like what we publish and seek to undermine the messenger who delivers an unpleasant truth.

Read the Full Story>>

A recent ruling by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge John F. Bender should establish an important principle from here on: Whoever is spending tax dollars to educate students in charter schools should have to make that spending transparent.

Charter schools are public schools, and the public is entitled to an accounting of how tax dollars are spent.

Read the Full Story>>

Attorney General Mike DeWine is calling for tougher penalties on polluters in the burgeoning oil and gas industry and for more disclosure of chemicals used in the drilling process of hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking.”

DeWine said yesterday that Ohio’s environmental fines should be raised to at least $10,000 a day — higher than the current maximum of $2,500 to $20,000 per incident, depending on the violation. Many states such as Pennsylvania and New York impose per-day civil penalties, DeWine said.

“Ohio’s clearly out of the mainstream in these penalties,” he told The Dispatch. “My recommendation to the General Assembly is that these laws be changed.”

Read the Full Story>>

Del Varney

Shortly before Jack Hanna took the stage and amazed everyone with his exotic animals on Thursday, Richard Morris, President of the Ohio Newspaper Association, presented some awards to well-deserving recipients.

The first award presented, the President’s Award, is given to an ONA member who has made particularly significant contributions to the association and the industry as a whole. Del Varney, recently retired vice president of operations at The Columbus Dispatch and former Board of Trustees member for ONA, was presented with the annual President’s Award by Morris.

“As president of the board of trustees these past two years, I have often relied on Del for his advice and his insight,” Morris said. “I can tell you that he has been one of our most valuable, active and dedicated board members.”

Representative Randy Gardner

In addition to the President’s Award, Morris presented the William Maxwell Award. The award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions in areas such as performing courageous acts of journalism and championing the public’s right to know.

Randy Gardner, an Ohio State Representative from Bowling Green, was presented with the William Maxwell award.

“I would like to thank him for the role he has played in supporting our industry and championing access to information for every Ohio citizen,” Morris said.

Ohio’s primary election is March 6^th – only a few weeks away – so it’s not surprising that we are getting questions about what must be stated in political advertising.

Here are three questions we have had this week.

Q: Can you refresh my memory on what has to be stated in ads placed for state and local candidates?

A: Ohio Revised Code 3517.20 is your key reference, and it covers all forms of advertising.  Just saying “paid political advertisement” isn’t good enough.

This is from the Secretary of State’s guide for candidates:

Campaign literature issued by a candidate’s campaign committee must contain language, “paid for by” followed by the name and address of the campaign committee and the appropriate officer of the committee, identified by name and title. The identification or disclaimer may use reasonable abbreviations for common terms such as treasurer or committee. This information must be located in a conspicuous place, unless it is contained within the communication.

In the case of expenditures on behalf of candidates or ballot issues but not authorized by the candidate or ballot-issue committee itself, the advertisement must clearly state that the ad is not authorized by the candidate or committee and clearly identify the entity that has paid for the ad. (ORC 3517.105)

There are dollar floors for these various types of ads so that these requirements don’t apply for very low expenditures, such as less than $100 for a local candidate.

Q: What about an advertisement for someone seeking a seat on a state political party’s central committee? (This has been in the news lately because of feuding between Gov. John Kasich and state Republican leaders.)

A: The advertiser can choose to put that information in the ad, but it is not required. The statutory definition of “candidate” in Ohio Revised Code 3517.01(B)3 specifically says it does not cover central committee candidates, convention delegates and others tied to a political party’s internal operations.

Q: What has to be stated in advertisements for federal candidates such as U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate?

A: The Federal Election Commission has a helpful, detailed guide on political advertising.  To summarize:

• If authorized and financed by the candidate: The disclaimer notice must identify who paid for the message. Example: Paid for by the Smith for Congress Committee.”
• If authorized by but not financed by the candidate: The disclaimer must identify who paid and that the candidate authorized the message. Example: Paid for by the Ohio Republican State Committee and authorized by the Smith for Congress Committee.”
• Messages not authorized by the candidate: The disclaimer must identify who paid and state that the ad was “not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.”

There are other nuances as well that this guide explains, such as language during pre-nomination and post-nomination periods.

The disclaimer must be “clear and conspicuous,” meaning that it must be easy to read or hear and placed where it can’t be easily overlooked. In print, the disclaimer has to be in a printed box set apart from other contents in a clearly legible type size with reasonable contrast between the type and the background.

If a phone company wants to stop offering landline services to an entire community, shouldn’t there be a public notice in the local paper?

If someone applies for a license as a key employee in a casino, shouldn’t the public have access to at least as much information as a citizen can get about a barber or a teacher?

Well, it seems that way to us. Amendments written or supported by the Ohio Newspaper Association on those issues appear to have a good chance of becoming law as a result of votes in the Ohio Legislature this week.

The Cincinnati Enquirer offers an excellent summary of House Bill 386, which involves casino gambling and video lottery terminals.

This extensive bill added additional secrecy to a licensing process that already is shielded to a great extent from public view for key employees involved in casino gaming and video lottery terminals (VLTs) throughoutOhio. I testified in December, noting that Ohioans would be able to find out more information about professionals such as barbers and teachers than they would be able to learn about applicants for gambling-related licenses.

That just doesn’t seem right when you consider the billions of dollars involved, the potential for corruption and the fact that casinos operate in state-guaranteed monopoly territories.

I also learned there are a lot of nuances to the extensive efforts the state’s Casino Control Commission has to make to review and approve applications, including confidentiality requirements in other states.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle worked with us, including the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Blessing,R-HamiltonCounty. There was bipartisan support of an amendment offered by Rep. Matt Lundy, D-Elyria, to create an application “cover sheet” that will be a public record and provide basic, identifying information about casino license applicants.

This and other information that will be publicly available should give reporters a starting point if there is a need to drill deeper into the background of applicants or be a watchdog on the work of the state agencies that oversee these operations.

While not ideal, I am convinced this was the best result we were going to get. And we particularly thank Lundy, a former journalist, for his work on this bill, which has passed the House and awaits action in the state Senate.

Meanwhile, I am surprised no one has written much about Senate Bill 271, which essentially would allow a telephone company to petition to withdraw landline service from an exchange area if the company can show there is adequate competition.

The hearing room usually was packed. The bill attracted the attention of a multitude of special interests representing consumer groups, retirees, local telephone companies, giant telecommunications firms and cable providers.

I don’t have a problem with the general concept of the bill, but I also imagine my late mother being stressed out for weeks if she thought she would have to learn how to use a cellphone. When I testified on the bill, I noted that newspaper executives certainly understand the impact of disruptive technology.

However, we argued there should be a newspaper notice requirement before a region could lose all its landline service, just as there are notices for proposed rate increases. The amount of community and customer interest that such proposals will generate seems undeniable.

The Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee agreed with us and unanimously passed a revised bill that contained our amendment. The bill passed the full Senate and awaits action in the House.

The language is modeled after ONA language that we successfully added to another bill involving utility rates last spring that would have initially (and amazingly) eliminated newspaper notices for utility rate increases and public hearings.  The bill that emerged requires newspaper notices with options of using Internet postings to reduce the size and cost of additional placements.

We particularly thank the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Frank LaRose,R-SummitCounty, for ensuring that our language landed in this bill.

As always, ONA members can follow the status of bills important to our industry by going to our Legislative Watch List.

David Dix

David Dix, publisher of the Ravenna Record-Courier, was elected president of the Ohio Newspaper Association Board of Trustees by ONA members at the annual meeting of ONA members held during the ONA convention on Feb. 9.

Members also unanimously elected other new officers and board members of the Ohio Newspaper Association Board of Trustees.  Officers will serve for two years; trustees are elected to three-year terms.

Dix has been a member of the ONA board since 1998 and most recently served as vice president to President Richard Morris of the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune. Morris, also a board member since 1998, was one of two board members whose board terms expired. Shirley Stineman, director marketing and community affairs at The Plain Dealer, also completed her board service.

Karl Heminger

Keith Rathbun

Other new officers are Karl Heminger, publisher, Findlay Publishing Co., as vice president and president of the Ohio Newspapers Foundation; and Keith Rathbun, publisher, The Budget (Sugarcreek), as treasurer. Heminger also is beginning a second term on the board.

New and re-elected board members are as follows:

Larry Dorschner

Kevin Kampman

• Larry Dorschner, publisher of the Lisbon Morning Journal, in the 10,000-50,000 daily circulation category.
• Kevin Kampman, publisher of the Canton Repository, in the over-50,000 category.
• Diane Chiddister, editor and co-owner of the Yellow Springs News, who begins a full term after being appointed to the seat vacated by Trustee Matt Welch.
• Margaret Buchanan, publisher of Enquirer Media in Cincinnati, for a second term in the over-50,000 category.
• Frank Beeson, group publisher at Ohio Community Media, for a second term in 10,000-50,000 category.

Diane Chiddister

Joe Gallo

In addition, the Feb. 9^thmeeting was the first for new board member Joe Gallo, executive vice president and corporate chief information officer for The (Columbus) Dispatch Printing Co. Gallo is filling the unexpired term of Del Varney, who recently retired from The Dispatch and thus had to resign from the board.

It has been several years since the ONA examined its requirements. The new review was prompted by overall trends in the industry and the change in state law that now makes free weeklies eligible for public notices if they meet all requirements.

The current ONA Constitution and bylaws essentially say that voting membership is open to Ohio newspapers with verified, paid circulation. Free weekly newspapers and Web-only local content providers can join only if they are affiliated with paid newspaper members.

Douthit, working with new ONA Board President David Dix, is appointing a committee that will meet several times in 2012 with a goal of reporting to the board at its October meeting.

ONA members with comments or questions about the process should contact Executive Director Dennis Hetzel at 614-486-6677 or dhetzel@ohionews.org.

Please note that the upcoming Hooper Competition for the entry period August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012 will be through an online platform. To prepare for this, newspaper staff should set aside contest-worthy digital content for those categories they wish to enter (e.g. create a folder on your desktop and save the pages and articles as PDFs). Complete details on the contest and submitting entries will be released later in 2012. If you have any questions about the contest please contact the ONA’s Sue Bazzoli at sbazzoli@ohionews.
org or 614-486-6677 Ext. 18.

Below is the list of 2012 winners. To download the complete judges’ report, please click here.

Winners of the 2012 Osman C. Hooper Newspaper Awards

Class 1: News Coverage

Division A

First Place:ChagrinValleyTimes
Second Place: ThisWeek Hilliard
Third Place: ThisWeek Dublin Villager

Division B

First Place: WestLife
Second Place: ThisWeek New Albany
Third Place: Geauga Maple Leaf

Division C

First Place: The Gazette
Second Place: Fulton County Expositor
Third Place: ThisWeek GermanVillage

Division D

First Place: The Pataskala Standard
Second Place: AmherstNews-Times
Third Place: BeavercreekNews-Current

Class 2: In-Depth Reporting

Division A

First Place: Carl Boon -BarbertonHerald
Second Place: Kelly Kaczala, Melissa Burden – The Press Newspapers
Third Place: Lisa Aurand w/Paul Comstock, Tom Sheehan, Sarah Sole - ThisWeek Grove City Record

Division B

First Place: Pete Wilson, Barbara Summers, Steven Keller – The Telegram
Second Place: Carleta Weyrich – The People’s Defender
Third Place: Felicia Tackett -JacksonCountyTimes-Journal

Division C

First Place: Phillip Collins – Vandalia Drummer News
Second Place: Karen Cornelius, Candace Barczyk – Vermilion Photojournal
Third Place: Sue Reid – Solon Times

Division D

First Place: Lauren Heaton, Megan Bachman, Diane Chiddister - Yellow Springs News
Second Place: Jessica Alaimo, Seth Roy – The Pataskala Standard
Third Place: David Pugh – Archbold Buckeye

Class 3: Best Local Feature

Division A

First Place: Gary Budzak – ThisWeek Hilliard
Second Place: Nate Ellis – ThisWeek Pickerington
Third Place: Sarah Sole – ThisWeek Grove City Record

Division B

First Place: Jeff Donahue – ThisWeek Bexley
Second Place: Bryan Wroten – The Press
Third Place: Carleta Weyrich – The People’s Defender

Division C

First Place: Sue Reid – Solon Times
Second Place: Jim Konkoly – Morgan County Herald
Third Place: David J. Coehrs -FultonCountyExpositor

Division D

First Place: Beth Mlady – North Ridgeville Press
Second Place: Amherst News-Times
Third Place: Lauren Heaton – Yellow Springs News

Class 4: Original Columns

Division A

First Place: David Lange, ChagrinValleyTimes
Second Place: Barbara Christian,ChagrinValleyTimes
Third Place: Marsha Mundy, The News Democrat Sunday

Division B

First Place: Sue Botos, WestLife
Second Place: Tim Troglen,HudsonHub-Times
Third Place: Jessica Hartzler Stock, The Budget

Division C

First Place: Jim Konkoly, MorganCountyHerald
Second Place: Larry Larson, ThisWeek Grandview
Third Place: Dar Nevergall, PutnamCountySentinel

Division D

First Place: Don Haven, The Granville Sentinel
Second Place: Beth Mlady, North Ridgeville Press
Third Place: Jeff Gill, The Granville Sentinel

Class 5: Best Editorial

First Place: WestLife
Second Place: ThisWeek Marysville
Third Place:ChagrinValleyTimes
Fourth Place: The Pataskala Standard
Fifth Place: The Granville Sentinel

Class 6: Sports Coverage

Division A

First Place: ThisWeek Dublin Villager
Second Place:ChagrinValleyTimes
Third Place: Barberton Herald

Division B

First Place: ThisWeek Bexley
Second Place:HudsonHub-Times
Third Place: The Budget

Division C

First Place: Pike County News Watchman
Second Place: ThisWeek Grandview
Third Place: The Gazette

Division D

First Place: Oberlin News-Tribune
Second Place: The Press-News
Third Place:AmherstNews-Times

Class 7: Design

Division A

First Place: The News Democrat Sunday
Second Place: ThisWeek Worthington
Third Place: ThisWeek Hilliard

Division B

First Place: Jackson County Times-Journal
Second Place: WestLife
Third Place: ThisWeek Bexley

Division C

First Place: MorganCountyHerald
Second Place: PutnamCountySentinel
Third Place: Solon Times

Division D

First Place: Yellow Springs News
Second Place: The Granville Sentinel
Third Place: Archbold Buckeye

Class 8: Advertising

Division A

First Place: Chagrin ValleyTimes
Second Place: ThisWeek Dublin Villager
Third Place: ThisWeek Hilliard

Division B

First Place: Jackson County Times-Journal
Second Place: The Telegram
Third Place: ThisWeek Bexley

Division C

First Place: ThisWeek Grandview
Second Place: MorganCountyHerald
Third Place: Vandalia Drummer News

Division D

First Place: Archbold Buckeye
Second Place: Yellow Springs News
Third Place: The Pataskala Standard

Class 9: Best Photo

Division A

First Place: Lorrie Cecil – ThisWeek Pickerington
Second Place: AdamCairns- ThisWeek Grove City Record
Third Place: Lorrie Cecil – ThisWeek Clintonville

Division B

First Place: Eric George – ThisWeek Johnstown Independent
Second Place: Paul Vernon – ThisWeek Marysville
Third Place: Chris Parker – ThisWeek NewAlbany

Division C

First Place: Itamar Gat – Solon Times
Second Place: AdamCairns-ThisWeekCanalWinchester
Third Place: Julie Billings -Pike County News Watchman

Division D

First Place: Megan Bachman – Yellow Springs News
Second Place: Lauren Heaton – Yellow Springs News
Third Place: John McLaughlin – The Press-News

Class 10: Best Headline

First Place: Willard Times-Junction
Second Place: Williard Times-Junction
Third Place: Twinsburg Bulletin
Fourth Place:Huber HeightsCourier
Fifth Place: North Ridgeville Press

Class 11: Special Edition or Section

Division A

First Place: ThisWeek Dublin Villager
Second Place: ThisWeek Hilliard
Third Place: The Press Newspapers

Division B

First Place: The Telegram
Second Place: The Press
Third Place: (Tie) ThisWeek Marysville and The People’s Defender

Division C

First Place: The Paulding Progress
Second Place: The News Democrat
Third Place: The Gazette

Division D

First Place: The Pataskala Standard
Second Place: The News
Third Place: Yellow Springs News

Class 12: Community Service

First Place: Putnam County Sentinel
Second Place: Chagrin Valley Times
Third Place: Archbold Buckeye
Fourth Place: Pike County News Watchman

Best Web Site

Independent Newspaper Web Sites

First Place: Geauga Maple Leaf
www.geaugamapleleaf.com

Second Place: The Telegram
www.thetelegramnews.com

Third Place: Yellow Springs News
www.ysnews.com

Group Newspaper Web Sites

First Place: ThisWeek Newspapers
www.thisweeknews.com

Second Place: The News Leader
www.tnl-news.com

Third Place: The Gazette
www.gazettenews.com

General Excellence Awards

Division A

Chagrin Valley Times

Division B

WestLife, Westlake

Division C

Morgan County Herald

Division D

Yellow Springs News

Please note that the upcoming Collegiate Newspaper Competition for the entry period August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012 will be through an online platform. To prepare for this, newspaper staff should set aside contest-worthy digital content for those categories they wish to enter (e.g. create a folder on your desktop and save the pages and articles as PDFs). Complete details on the contest and submitting entries will be released later in 2012. If you have any questions about the contest please contact the ONA’s Sue Bazzoli at sbazzoli@ohionews.
org or 614-486-6677 Ext. 18.

Below is the list of 2012 winners. To download the complete judges’ report, please click here.

2012 Ohio Collegiate Newspaper and Web Site Competition award winners

Class 1: News Coverage

Division A

First Place: The Post – Ohio University
Second Place: The Lantern – The Ohio State University
Third Place: The BG News -Bowling GreenStateUniversity

Division B

First Place: The Pulse – University of Findlay
Second Place: The Jambar – Youngstown State University
Third Place: Tan & Cardinal -OtterbeinUniversity

Class 2: Arts and Entertainment

Division A

First Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Second Place: The Post – Ohio University
Third Place: The Lantern – TheOhioStateUniversity

Division B

First Place: The Collegian – Ashland University
Second Place: Cedars – Cedarville University
Third Place: The Jambar -YoungstownStateUniversity

Class 3: Editorial Writing

Division A

First Place: The Lantern – The Ohio State University
Second Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Third Place: The Post -OhioUniversity

Division B

First Place: Tan & Cardinal – Otterbein University
Second Place: The Jambar – Youngstown State University
Third Place: The Transcript -OhioWesleyanUniversity

Class 4: Sports Coverage

Division A

First Place: The Post – Ohio University
Second Place: The Lantern – The Ohio State University
Third Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati

Division B

First Place: The Jambar – Youngstown State University
Second Place: Cedars – Cedarville University
Third Place: The Pulse -University ofFindlay

Class 5: Design

Division A

First Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Second Place: The Post – Ohio University
Third Place: The Lantern – TheOhioStateUniversity

Division B

First Place: Cedars – Cedarville University
Second Place: Tan & Cardinal – Otterbein University
Third Place: The Jambar -YoungstownStateUniversity

Class 6: Photojournalism

Division A

First Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Second Place: The Lantern – TheOhioStateUniversity

Division B

First Place: Cedars – Cedarville University
Second Place: Tan & Cardinal – Otterbein University
Third Place: The Pulse -University ofFindlay

Class 7: Headline Writing

Division A

First Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Second Place: The Lantern – The Ohio State University
Third Place: The Post -OhioUniversity

Division B

First Place: The Collegian – Ashland University
Second Place: Cedars – Cedarville University
Third Place: The Pulse -University ofFindlay

Best Collegiate Newspaper Web Site

Division A

First Place: The News Record – University of Cincinnati
Second Place: The Lantern – The Ohio State University
Third Place: – The BG News -Bowling Green State University

Division B

First Place: Aviso AVW – Malone University
Second Place: Tan & Cardinal – Otterbein University
Third Place: – The Collegian – Ashland University

General Excellence Award

Division A

The Lantern, The Ohio State University

Division B

The Jambar,Youngstown State University

Through the ONA’s partnership with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, your newspaper can achieve significant savings on your BWC workers’ comp premium. The ONA’s group rating plan is run by CompManagement, which upon request will provide your organization with an estimate of how much your newspaper can save.

Join the other ONA members who are already participating and saving money with this program. Click here for a free, no-obligation quote! You can also contact CompManagement at (800) 825-6755.

As you may be aware, the Ohio General Assembly is again considering bills which could curtail public notice postings in our state — with one of these bills, Senate Bill 234, set to essentially allow foreclosure sale notices to only go on government websites. While the ONA is engaging with legislators on this issue, it helps for them to also hear from the general public on why public notices in newspapers are so important. To help accomplish this goal, the ONA created a series of ads showing why newspaper public notices are a critical part of how our government keeps people informed. These ads are based on successful campaigns our sister state newspaper associations ran in both Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

If your newspaper is interested in running these half-page ads, you can still download them in either color or B&W PDF formats by clicking here.

While keeping public notices in newspapers seems like common sense to everyone in the newspaper industry, the general public may not realize the value of this service until it is gone. This ad campaign is a critical step in preventing this newspaper service from disappearing.

The Associated Press is offering paid journalism internships for the summer of 2012 in 10 U.S. cities (including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.) and 10 international locations (including London, Jerusalem, Seoul, Mexico City, Rome, Bangkok, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow).

The interns will contribute to AP’s text, video and photos report from these bureaus for 12 weeks this summer. Although a primary format may be declared – depending on interest and ability – the internships will provide experience and training in all three. Interns will attend and contribute to all-format editorial meetings. Assignments will be made by a trainer who will also provide performance appraisals during the course of the internship.

The deadline to apply is March 2. For more information and to apply, go here.

On the first page of Facebook’s prospectus for its sale of stock to the public, it pegs the number of its “monthly active users” at a whopping 845 million people. The social networking site arrives at an even more astounding number when it comes to “daily active users”: 483 million people.

Those are some huge numbers. If it is hard to believe that so many people are clicking on facebook.com every day, that’s because well, they aren’t, exactly. Those eye-popping numbers should have an asterisk next to them.

If you managed to wade through to Page 44 of Facebook’s prospectus, you’d discover that the company provides a definition of an “active user” — and it is unlikely to be what you expected.

Facebook counts as “active” users who go to its Web site or its mobile site. But it also counts an entire other category of people who don’t click on facebook.com as “active users.” According to the company, a user is considered active if he or she “took an action to share content or activity with his or her Facebook friends or connections via a third-party Web site that is integrated with Facebook.”

Come again?

Read the Full Story>>

A new survey of U.S. voters’ media use demonstrates the advantages newspaper media hold in connecting political advertisers – election campaigns and issues advocates – with registered American voters, the group most likely to vote. The American Voters Media Use Study, conducted by Moore Information, shows that 86 percent of registered voters read newspapers in print or online. Ninety-one percent of voters who contributed money to a campaign read online or print newspapers.

“Cutting across party affiliations and age groups, it’s clear that newspapers and their digital platforms provide a superior medium for advertising that supports election campaigns and drives awareness of the issues,” said Caroline Little, NAA president and CEO. “Whether measuring perceptions of trust and reliability or use of the medium’s digital and mobile platforms, newspapers have a clear advantage in reaching and motivating those highly likely to vote. Campaigns and advocates seeking effective advertising to reach their target audiences need look no further than the local newspaper.”

Read the Full Story>>

Online news sites have long won the battle to get readers to move online –- although the question of whether readers should pay for that online content is another question.

Perhaps an issue even more pertinent to publishers’ long time survival is when the advertisers will follow. Pew’s Project for Excellent in Journalism reports that online news sites are finding it difficult to convince advertisers to move from their traditional platforms to online outlets. One in five ads on news websites are house ads.

It is curious because in other venues online ads are flourishing. One reason for the disconnect might be that few of the news sites actively target users, says Marketing Land.

Read the Full Story>>

by Al Cross

The financial pressures of the news industry have made journalists much more aware of the business side that supports our journalism. But some journalists need to know more about an important part of the business that also helps inform citizens and helps us find stories: public-notice advertising in newspapers. Paid public notice is under threat, and SPJ members and chapters need to help defend it.

You may know public notices as “legal ads,” because they are required by law, they can be part of court process, and classified sections often use “legal notices” as the heading. But public notices also include display ads and encompass a wide range of important information: government budgets, financial statements, audits, local ordinances, hearings, environmental permit applications, water-system reports, foreclosure sales and more.

Public notices are a necessary leg of the three-legged stool of open government, along with open-records and open-meetings laws. But local governments are lobbying state legislatures to eliminate or reduce newspaper publication of legal notices, arguing that it would be much cheaper for taxpayers if they’re published on government websites, and just as effective.

The second half of that argument is an assumption, and repeated research shows that it’s incorrect. Polls by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri have found that citizens are unlikely to surf government sites for public notices, while they do report reading them often in newspapers. Also, many Americans lack broadband or access to it, and Internet adoption appears to be leveling off, indicating that some Americans will never be online.

Public notices can provide tips for news stories and are a significant source of revenue for many newspapers, especially county-seat weeklies, so their reduction or elimination could lead to fewer jobs in journalism, and less journalism.

State newspaper associations are lobbying hard against efforts to reduce public notice. They have not always been successful, most notably in Ohio, where public notice was scaled back significantly in the 2011 legislature. Because the economic recovery is slow and stimulus dollars are gone, state and local governments will be under even more pressure to cut expenses, and public notice is likely to be an even greater target — especially for those public officials who don’t get along with their local papers.

Unfortunately, some journalists who cover this issue lack necessary knowledge. Mark Thomas of the Oklahoma Press Association reported last year, “I was stunned a couple of months ago when we were fighting off two legal-notice bills by the counties. I was interviewed many times by reporters. Not only were longtime reporters a bit ignorant of public notice and its role in the entire process, but the newbie reporters were completely clueless.

“One reporter (at least) called back to ask me if newspapers get paid for these notices and how that worked. That was when I was stunned and a little depressed about our future.

“The paper does get money, but this is different than learning about how the car business works because auto dealers advertise. These notices are an important part of the three-legged stool, to use your example. They love to crow about how much they know and defend open meetings and records, but are completely silent on knowing about public notices. In fact, when they learn the newspaper gets paid for the notices, they actually run the other way in disgust.”

SPJ members and chapters should make an effort to educate journalists about the issue of public notice. The recent Federal Communications Commission report on the future of local news recognized a governmental responsibility to support activities that encourage transparency and accountability, saying the federal government should consider steering some of its advertising to local news outlets to support their journalism.

In addition to educating journalists about the issue, SPJ chapters should consider joining newspapers in lobbying against elimination or reduction of public notices. We can help generate and shore up support for public notice, because our organization has no direct financial interest in such issues. This is a case where a business issue for newspapers is also a freedom of information issue for journalists, and we should be informed and involved.

The Society of Professional Journalists is seeking nominations for the 2012 Black Hole Award, which highlights egregious abuses of the public’s right to know.

By exposing such abuses, SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee seeks to educate the public about their rights and call attention to those who would interfere with openness and transparency.

In 2011, the Black Hole Award went to the Utah Legislature and Gov. Gary Herbert for passage of the most regressive freedom of information legislation in recent history. After the award was “presented,” and a large public backlash ensued, the measure was repealed.

Deadline for 2012 nominations is Monday, Feb. 21. For more information and to make a nomination, go here.

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When Joseph C. Kline Sr. visited his old neighborhood in West Akron, it took a little time to get his bearings on the side streets.

“Most of these houses weren’t here,” he said. “This was all field.”

Riding up and down the streets of Castle Park, he was pleased to see his childhood home — a brick bungalow built by his father in 1927 — standing at 228 Kenilworth Drive.

“That’s the house!” he beamed.

Kline, a Copley resident who will turn 92 on March 13, also perked up when he saw a small brick tower marking the entrance to Castle Boulevard.

“That’s it!” he said. “That’s where I picked up my papers. Right down here in the middle.”

Kline probably knew the neighborhood better than anyone when he was a youth. As a paperboy for the Akron Times-Press in the 1930s, he made daily visits to every other home.

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News organizations are doing a crummy job of capitalizing on online advertising’s growth. The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism studied the websites of 11 newspapers, several TV networks, and Yahoo and the Huffington Post, and found that “even the top news websites in the country have had little success getting advertisers from traditional platforms to move online.”

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Six weeks after the AP and other investors launched a licensing organization to collect fees from aggregators, the AP has filed a lawsuit against Meltwater News, which bills itself as “more than a traditional media monitoring service.” AP CEO Curley calls it “parasitic distribution service” that is undercutting AP’s business by providing its content to Meltwater clients without paying for it.

The AP says Meltwater is taking its customers — not the newspapers and broadcasters you normally think of as AP clients, and not the average guy scanning Google News at lunch, but those like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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David Beasley was a man dedicated to the craft of journalism and the reporter’s art – so much so that he was still contributing stories 17 years after he retired from the Enquirer in 1992, following a 21-year career as a copy editor and reporter.

“He would grumble sometimes, like all reporters do, but did his job and did it well,” said Jack Hicks of Covington, a retired Kentucky Enquirer columnist who was a friend and colleague for many years.

Mr. Beasley died Thursday (Feb. 9) at his home in Florence after a long illness. He was 83.

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GateHouse Media Inc. said it will locate its two news production hubs — to handle copy editing and page layout for its more than 300 daily and weekly papers — at the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star and the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass.

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Akron City Council is already getting negative feedback on its proposed rules — just introduced Monday — for speaking to council.

Councilman Mike Williams and other critics say the guidelines, which basically maintain the speaking opportunities council now allows, don’t go far enough to comply with a charter amendment approved by nearly 82 percent of voters last November. That amendment said council shall adopt legislation “to permit public speaking in council meetings.”

“This public comment period is seriously insufficient based on the ballot language,” Williams said during a Rules Committee meeting Monday.

Former Councilman Ernie Tarle, who circulated petitions for a charter change last year requiring a public speaking period, called the proposed rules “down-right disrespectful.”

“I think the people have spoken,” he said. “I think they are spitting in their faces. Shame on them.”

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State and local governments are almost as pressed as newspapers these days to shave expenses in the face of falling revenues.

That has given fresh impetus to efforts that would allow municipalities to post all or some of their legal notices electronically rather than as print advertising.

Proposals to loosen legal notice requirements pop up every year in various states. Always, until now, state press associations and individual newspapers have mobilized successful lobbying campaigns that have gotten the bills withdrawn or killed in committee.

Though that scenario has happened twice already in January in New Jersey and Florida, the legislative season is young. 2012 just might be the year some state takes the plunge, bucks the wishes of constituents who buy ink by the barrel, and allows a form of online posting to satisfy legal notice requirements.

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Managing Editor Don Detore has been named interim executive editor of The Repository, effective Feb. 24.

The Repository recently announced that Executive Editor Jeff Gauger will resign from his position at the media company to become executive editor for The News & Record in Greensboro, N.C.

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Gannett U.S. Community Publishing president Bob Dickey tells employees: “This offer was designed to be as attractive as or better than others in the industry. The Early Retirement Opportunity Program also is the first offered by Gannett since 2008. The offer provides for salary continuation of two weeks’ pay for each complete year of service, capped at 52 weeks, and ongoing health, dental and vision coverage during this period.”

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Jack Hanna speaking at the 2012 ONA Convention, where he called for action on an exotic animal law in Ohio. Photo by Erin Corneliussen, ONA Student News Bureau, The Post.

Note: Jack Hanna spoke at the 2012 Ohio Newspaper Convention on Feb. 9th and urged action on an exotic animal law in Ohio. Below is a sampling of the news coverage of his remarks. In addition, the ONA has uploaded an edited video of his remarks and is also offering members a number of photos of Hanna and the other speakers, which may be reprinted by any Ohio newspaper.

From the Zanesville Times Recorder: “Jack Hanna blasts legislators for lack of action on exotic animals”

Jack Hanna is shocked that Ohio has not passed a law yet governing exotic animal ownership after the Terry Thompson incident that occurred in October.

“You are dealing with bombs,” Hanna told an audience at the Ohio Newspaper Association Convention on Thursday in Columbus. As part of his speech, he expressed his frustration with the legislature and what he calls delays in getting the task done, and warned that the world is waiting for Ohio to act.

“Does someone have to get killed?” he asked.

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From The Columbus Dispatch: “Hanna backs full ban on exotic animals”

A state lawmaker’s idea to allow people who already own exotic animals to keep them indefinitely has Jack Hanna fuming.

Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, said emphatically yesterday that he does not support the revised proposal by state Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville.

“No way. If you found someone who had a bomb in their basement, you’d take it away, wouldn’t you?” Hanna said in an interview. “If a child got killed by a tiger, how long do you think it would take to pass this legislation?”

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From The Daily Record: “Hanna wants wild animal law passed properly”

The Columbus Zoo’s Jack Hanna said Thursday he is in a “state of shock” that lawmakers have not moved on legislation to stop private Ohioans from owning tigers, bears, lions and other dangerous wild animals.

“We now have over 200 lions and tigers in the state of Ohio. We’re not talking about, folks, kitty cats or camels or llamas,” Hanna said, adding later, “What’s it going to take, everyone, to pass the bill? Someone else getting killed?”

Hanna made the comments during the Ohio Newspaper Association’s annual convention in Columbus. He gave the keynote luncheon speech, including showcasing a cheetah, penguin, bearcat and other animals for attendees.

But he spent much of his time Thursday addressing the need for legislation concerning the ownership of dangerous wild animals.

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From The Vindicator: “Inaction on exotic animals shocks Jack Hanna”

The Columbus Zoo’s Jack Hanna said Thursday he’s in a “state of shock” that lawmakers have not acted on legislation to stop private Ohioans from owning tigers, bears, lions and other dangerous wild animals.

“We now have over 200 lions and tigers in the state of Ohio. We’re not talking about … kitty cats or camels or llamas,” Hanna said. “What’s it going to take … to pass the bill? Someone else getting killed?”

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Vice President Biden speaking to the 2012 Ohio Newspaper Association Convention. Photo by Erin Corneliussen, ONA Student News Bureau, The Post

By Jim Ryan, ONA Student News Bureau
The Post

There was no shortage of topics for Vice President Joe Biden to speak about during his appearance at the Ohio Newspaper Association Convention Thursday.

His address covered several topics but one message rang clear — Biden’s confidence in his country is unshaken.

“It’s never a safe bet to bet against America,” Biden said. “Competition has always been the adrenaline that’s driven American excellence.”

Biden began his speech by touching on what a room full of newspaper executives know best — the printed product.

He referenced his upbringing, when standard media practices did not include moderating a Twitter account or keeping tabs on constant online updates, as those technologies were not even a figment of the imagination.

Nonetheless, he did offer words of encouragement to the audience, which was primarily made up of members of the press.

“You all are still the critical element in maintaining the democratic balance,” he said.

“For any government to be effective it has to be transparent, and we wouldn’t have that transparency without the press.”

Biden did not embellish on the state of the newspaper business for long, and instead opted to delve into his views on the country and its standing in comparison to other world powers.

He stressed that the United States’ policies pertaining to intellectual property are the best in the world and credited early computer system Arpanet and former president Dwight Eisenhower for setting the country’s standard in that regard long ago.

That was all pretense to the Vice President’s main message. His primary point was that America is strong and on the uptick.

He backed up the claim by referencing corporations that are bringing jobs back to the United States, bolstering local economies.

Education was also pertinent in his message, as he noted that all other success flows from education.

“I am absolutely confident that America is positioned better than any country in the world to continue to be the most significant, powerful economy in the world,” Biden said. “It has nothing to do with Barack Obama and Joe Biden. It has to do with the factors in this country.”