There's something uniquely funny about anonymous posters calling me a coward. After all, my name is on my stories. My phone number is public. My email address is, well, just over there to the right. Anyone is welcome to contact me.
And yet.
This story about Robert Mosback's on-duty crash in June, where records show he was intoxicated, appears to be bringing out the worst in some faceless accusers.
One questioned if I'm in love with Mosback since I've written about the case extensively. "I wonder if Collins is the giver or the receiver," he speculated.
That's such a nice thing to say that I'm simply shocked that whoever posted it declined to put his name to his words.
Another person, or maybe the same guy, claims I have "nothing positive to write" and that the Press should "get a new reporter."
Whether the Press should find a replacement for me or not I leave to my bosses. I'm sure there are days they would agree.
The reality is that I don't set out to write anything positive or negative. I just head into every day aiming to tell the news as best I can. The hardest part of it is trying to figure out how to get as much done as I can when there's so very much more that could be written (while simultaneously trying to keep an editor who often has different priorities at least vaguely content).
I don't really mind having abuse heaped upon me along the way. A thick skin is the best tool a reporter can have, after all. But I liked the old days when I knew who was gunning for me (so, politicians, I do sympathize with your similar complaints about the web).
What I do know for sure, though, is that I'm going to keep writing every day until somebody sends me packing --- or I wise up and find an occupation that actually pays a living wage.
Gripe all you like, but I've got a job to do.
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
November 7, 2010
September 28, 2010
Did I ever tell you how I almost got locked up?
Twenty years ago in a little Upstate New York city called Auburn, most famous for its massive maximum security prison, I came within a whisker of getting packed off to jail for refusing to obey a court order to hand over a leaked hospital lab slip.
The tiny piece of green and white paper, which had been sent to me, showed that an off-duty state trooper had a blood alcohol level well over the legal limit when he smashed his Corvette into a guardrail late one night.
He was never charged in the crash, which nearly killed him.
I wrote a story about the cover-up, relying on that little slip of paper to prove the trooper had done wrong (and so, too, had the police and emergency personnel who helped hide the fact that he'd been drinking).
It created a stir, as you might expect.
The trooper was livid so he sued - but not me, since he had no case. Instead, he sued the hospital that had saved his life, for failing to protect his medical privacy.
The key to his case was that little slip of paper. Without it, he couldn't prove they'd failed to keep it secure.
I refused to hand it over, worried that it might be possible to trace my source if his lawyers got their hands on it.
One day in court, when the county sheriff showed up with a new uniform and gleaming handcuffs attached to his belt, I realized the judge had reached the breaking point. He planned to put me behind bars for contempt because I wouldn't bend.
Even then, with the TV cameras rolling, I refused to go along with the order.
But I did tell the judge that I had "new evidence" that I could only disclose in chambers. He bought it.
I didn't really have any new evidence. I made up some nonsense about the way the paper had been folded perhaps showcasing a source for it.
The judge took the opportunity to delay the case and then to knock heads in private to get it settled. The hospital finally apologized and that was that. It was over.
But I got a dose of what this job can require.
I've been grateful that for the past 20 years, there's never been a story that threatened to put me in jail. I can live without that happening again since it is sort of scary to contemplate.
I do want people to know, though, that I'll go all the way to protect a source.
So if there's ever another drunken trooper....
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The tiny piece of green and white paper, which had been sent to me, showed that an off-duty state trooper had a blood alcohol level well over the legal limit when he smashed his Corvette into a guardrail late one night.
He was never charged in the crash, which nearly killed him.
I wrote a story about the cover-up, relying on that little slip of paper to prove the trooper had done wrong (and so, too, had the police and emergency personnel who helped hide the fact that he'd been drinking).
It created a stir, as you might expect.
The trooper was livid so he sued - but not me, since he had no case. Instead, he sued the hospital that had saved his life, for failing to protect his medical privacy.
The key to his case was that little slip of paper. Without it, he couldn't prove they'd failed to keep it secure.
I refused to hand it over, worried that it might be possible to trace my source if his lawyers got their hands on it.
One day in court, when the county sheriff showed up with a new uniform and gleaming handcuffs attached to his belt, I realized the judge had reached the breaking point. He planned to put me behind bars for contempt because I wouldn't bend.
Even then, with the TV cameras rolling, I refused to go along with the order.
But I did tell the judge that I had "new evidence" that I could only disclose in chambers. He bought it.
I didn't really have any new evidence. I made up some nonsense about the way the paper had been folded perhaps showcasing a source for it.
The judge took the opportunity to delay the case and then to knock heads in private to get it settled. The hospital finally apologized and that was that. It was over.
But I got a dose of what this job can require.
I've been grateful that for the past 20 years, there's never been a story that threatened to put me in jail. I can live without that happening again since it is sort of scary to contemplate.
I do want people to know, though, that I'll go all the way to protect a source.
So if there's ever another drunken trooper....
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
May 11, 2010
A new issue of The Tattoo is online -- check it out!
A new issue that we finished late Monday is now online -- and full of great material from the world's best young writers and photographers. You'll find it at www.ReadTheTattoo.com.
The featured news story is the first written by Louisiana teen Kaley Willis, who rounded up the views of young people about the awful oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They're worried, of course, but take a look at their words and don't miss Willis' photographs of a still pristine section of the Louisiana coastline. Let's hope it remains in its natural state in the weeks and months ahead.
Monday's issue also has a travel piece by Youth Journalism International veteran Edrees Kakar about a visit he made to Dubai, which is quite different from his hometown in Kabul, Afghanistan. There is also a review by Yelena Samofalova and Mary Majerus-Collins of a new Tom Sawyer play that's just finishing a run at the Hartford Stage in Connecticut. They liked it.
One new thing in this issue is that we also have translations of a recent news story by Samofalova about the plans for a World Youth Peace Summit in 2011. Three of our students -- Eugenia Durante in Italy, Katie Grosser in Germany and Caroline Nelissen in the Netherlands -- combined to offer translations of the story into Italian, German and Dutch. More translations are in the works.
That's the sort of global reach that Youth Journalism International hopes to do more often.
And now, a request. Youth Journalism International is trying to secure some assistance through an online contest that you can reach by clicking here. It takes less than 30 seconds to cast a vote for Youth Journalism International. You can vote daily (every 24 hours) until Friday, when the contest ends. As a new nonprofit, this is the sort of thing that can really help Youth Journalism International grow and prosper.
Thanks so much for reading and for your support of the world's best teen journalism since 1994.
*******Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
May 10, 2010
Reporters running for political office
There probably isn't a reporter out there who doesn't watch politicians in action and think to themselves, wow, I could do better with my eyes closed and my feet locked in cement.
But then the thought passes.
For most of us in the news business, the politicians are on one side and we're on the other. We do our thing -- and garner both praise and scorn in the process -- and they do theirs, for better or worse.
But sometimes the temptation gets too great, especially for the television news folks who have always lived on the thin edge between entertainment and journalism.
That's why former TV anchor Janet Peckinpaugh is in the running for the 2nd District congressional seat, a move that required her to switch her registration from unaffiliated to Republican a couple of months ago.
And it's why Shelly Sindland, the Fox 61 reporter who's leaving the station next month, is at least pondering a state House run in West Hartford.
They'll have name recognition and the advantage of already knowing most of the political players.
But reporters who switch sides -- who go from 'us' to 'them' -- are venturing into dangerous territory.
Because we all know that about the only thing worse than a journalist is a politician.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 2, 2010
A look back on the effort to save the Press
With a new CPTV documentary airing this week, I've been thinking quite a bit about those strange couple of months at the end of 2008 when it appeared The Bristol Press might close down forever. The documentary captured some of that on film, though it wound up focusing more on the future of newspapers since, of course, the Press remains open.
We beat on a lot of drums in November and December of 2008 in the hope that by creating a stir, a buyer for The Bristol Press might emerge. That the strategy actually worked is still kind of astounding to me. Michael Schroeder, who bought the paper (and the New Britain Herald, too), entered the picture because he read Dan Barry's brilliant piece about our plight in The New York Times -- a piece that got written because of all the attention we stirred up in Connecticut, Barry's old stomping ground.
A key part of what happened was the effort we made to get state officials involved -- the so-called "newspaper bailout" bid that was never anything like it got portrayed. But we (reporters Jackie Majerus, Adam Benson and yours truly) really couldn't stop the bailout focus -- though we tried. Even so, maybe it was just as well because it helped spread the story across the globe, which meant that it came to the attention of more people.
One thing that we never said at the time was that I wrote a memorandum to the state's commissioner of economic development that became a sort of blueprint for what the state tried to do to help. When state officials and legislators met behind closed doors, they read it -- and acted on it, too, to my great joy. The memo had to be secret then because I ripped into the company that was still paying my salary.
Now, though, there's no reason not to share it, because the memo does capture the truth of what was going on. I'm not sure that journalists would generally agree that writing secret memos to state leaders is fine, but I would counter that watching helplessly as an evil company shutters 13 newspapers surely isn't fine either. So we did what we did. And I think the results make it pretty clear that it was the right thing to do.
I really have no doubt the Press and the Herald would not have survived if we'd just gone along doing nothing more than our daily quota of community journalism.
Anyway, here's the memo:
December 4, 2008
Memorandum about the Bristol Press and New Britain Herald
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
We beat on a lot of drums in November and December of 2008 in the hope that by creating a stir, a buyer for The Bristol Press might emerge. That the strategy actually worked is still kind of astounding to me. Michael Schroeder, who bought the paper (and the New Britain Herald, too), entered the picture because he read Dan Barry's brilliant piece about our plight in The New York Times -- a piece that got written because of all the attention we stirred up in Connecticut, Barry's old stomping ground.
A key part of what happened was the effort we made to get state officials involved -- the so-called "newspaper bailout" bid that was never anything like it got portrayed. But we (reporters Jackie Majerus, Adam Benson and yours truly) really couldn't stop the bailout focus -- though we tried. Even so, maybe it was just as well because it helped spread the story across the globe, which meant that it came to the attention of more people.
One thing that we never said at the time was that I wrote a memorandum to the state's commissioner of economic development that became a sort of blueprint for what the state tried to do to help. When state officials and legislators met behind closed doors, they read it -- and acted on it, too, to my great joy. The memo had to be secret then because I ripped into the company that was still paying my salary.
Now, though, there's no reason not to share it, because the memo does capture the truth of what was going on. I'm not sure that journalists would generally agree that writing secret memos to state leaders is fine, but I would counter that watching helplessly as an evil company shutters 13 newspapers surely isn't fine either. So we did what we did. And I think the results make it pretty clear that it was the right thing to do.
I really have no doubt the Press and the Herald would not have survived if we'd just gone along doing nothing more than our daily quota of community journalism.
Anyway, here's the memo:
December 4, 2008
Memorandum about the Bristol Press and New Britain Herald
To: Joan McDonald, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development
From: Steve Collins, Bristol Press reporter
Subject: What you can do to help preserve Central Connecticut’s newspapers
Let’s say the most important thing right up front: We don’t want a bailout.
What we want instead is the assistance of the many astute development officials in the state government to help identify potential buyers for these papers and to pinpoint what existing programs and policies might prove beneficial to a new owner.
Without that helping hand, there is a good chance that two important dailies and 11 weeklies in Central Connecticut will close on Jan. 12, leaving a number of communities without any source of news, putting more than 100 employees on unemployment and undercutting any number of local businesses that depend in part on the newspapers.
The background on this issue is straightforward. In the mid-1990s, the Journal Register Co. bought The Bristol Press, The Herald in New Britain and a number of weekly newspapers in Central Connecticut. At the time, most of them were profitable to a degree almost unimaginable today. After 14 years of JRC ownership, all of the papers are struggling and most of them are losing money, or so we’re told.
Let’s address the reason why the papers are struggling, because that is the root of the business criteria that must drive what you do now. The JRC’s former management believed that by paring expenses at every opportunity, it could maximize profits. But what happened instead is that almost every step the company took to raise profits instead drove away both readers and advertisers, from switching its dailies to morning delivery to dumping the traditional broadsheet design in favor of a tabloid style. It added a Sunday paper, The Herald Press, without adding any staff at all to give it substance, serving merely to weaken every one of its papers every day. Those of us who worked in the trenches saw calamity after calamity, with everything from customer service to circulation slashed in misguided, nonsensical attempts to turn things around. It’s taken 14 years at The Bristol Press, but the results of the company’s experiment are clear: Eventually, cutting service and ignoring customers leads to losses rather than profits.
Now we hear daily that people can’t get their paper delivered at home, can’t get their letters to the editor printed, can’t get their church or group announcements into print, can’t get even get their advertisements done right. The management of these papers has created a system so inept that many of the things newspapers have always done, from editorials to fire calls, have simply fallen by the wayside.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
We know that the halcyon days of newspapers are gone, perhaps forever, but they can still make money while performing a crucial public function. There is no reason to shut their doors, fire 100+ workers and turn off the lights.
What’s needed to turn them around? Nothing more than a chance to let employees do their jobs under management whose aim is to respond to the public, treat workers with respect and take seriously its role as guardians of the First Amendment. Treat the community as a partner and it will be. Treat it as a place for plunder, as the JRC did for years, and the trust that is the linchpin of a successful paper is undermined.
I was lucky enough to get to know a great old newspaper publisher, Bart Barnes, during his last years. I know that his success went far beyond making some good money for The Bristol Press. He championed Freedom of Information in Connecticut. He pushed for Bristol to get good roads, good schools, new development and so much more. He was an active, interested participant in almost everything that happened in his hometown and in the newspaper world for well over half a century. But Bart was not just a crusader, not just a businessman. He was also a journalist. I remember how proud he was that his story of what happened in Bristol during the 1955 Flood made it onto the national Associated Press wire, even if they mistakenly attributed the piece to his brother. He cared about the news. His successors at the JRC don’t even know what news is all about.
Perhaps the era of Bart Barnes is gone, but the paper he shepherded is not. The JRC’s former management tried in so many different ways to undermine it that it’s a little hard to believe the Press remains alive and still relatively vibrant for something that is a shadow of what it should be. We still serve as a watchdog, still deliver hard-hitting and important stories, still make sure that what’s important to Bristol is in the paper. The Press is, despite the company’s efforts, not dead and it’s not a trifle from the past that can be tossed aside. Don’t let the JRC, which did so much to wound this valuable community institution, turn around now and kill it.
What can you do?
To begin with, get involved. Talk to the JRC’s executives today who are perhaps trying to make the best of the terrible situation they inherited. Talk to the broker in New Mexico who’s trying to sell the paper. Look at the books with a steely eye and see if the numbers presented for the papers that are slated to close – and those that might remain open – actually show the dire situation claimed by management. Consider that newsprint, the most costly part of a paper, is likely going to come down in price quickly in the coming year, helping to cushion the blow of a recession that’s been especially hard on America’s newspapers. And then go out and see if you can find potential buyers because the JRC is unlikely to be doing anything much to round them up on its own. It’s barely afloat at all given its huge debts. Talk to community leaders who might be interested in the role Bart once held. Talk to competing newspapers that remain true to their ideals, such as the Journal Inquirer, the Record-Journal or the Republican-American. Talk to newspaper companies such as Hearst, Tribune and Gannett. Talk to the paper’s own employees and see if perhaps a nonprofit or an employee-owned enterprise could be created to keep them alive. Search for a buyer wherever you can because jobs are at stake, yes, but also because the very soul of our communities is at risk.
Scour the existing programs that Connecticut, Bristol and New Britain can offer to potential buyers, the sorts of incentives and tax breaks that businesses are routinely allowed in order to create or preserve good jobs here. Find the ones that might matter, the programs that might induce a wary buyer to take the chance. This isn’t charity or a bailout. It’s what Connecticut does for businesses that want to be here rather than somewhere else, or simply gone.
I recognize that in speaking so candidly, I’m sticking my neck out, and everything I’ve seen from the JRC for years makes me wonder if I’ll still be around to collect the pathetic little severance package promised to workers who remain on Jan. 12. But this isn’t about what’s best for me. It’s about saving something integral to the functioning of a large region of our state, not just preserving two daily papers and 11 weeklies that are crucial parts of their communities, but pumping life back into them – and partly through that effort, pumping life back into places that face a dire future without a paper to rally them to greater heights.
The Bristol Press, The Herald in New Britain and these weeklies deserve better than to be struck down by a company that drained them for years and now wants to discard them. With assistance, they can be what they always were: the voice of the people, the conscience of the community, the sounding board for cranks and kingpins, the preserver of our history, the path to our future, the most crucial element of our democracy.
This effort isn’t just about lending a hand to some little papers that are easily overlooked in the mad rush of day-to-day living. It’s about securing a path for the flow of information that government and society depends on. And while the Press, the Herald and the weeklies may be the first targeted for closure, they won’t be the last unless we collectively find a way to keep this valuable gift from our ancestors thriving.
Connecticut, where America’s oldest continually operating newspaper is still pumping out pages, should not now be the spot where American journalism begins to die.
We don’t need a bailout to remain in business. We don’t need the taxpayers’ money. We only need a helping hand and some hard work from the people we pay to do just this for us.
I’m not alone in saying thank you for anything you can do, for the papers, their towns and the people of Connecticut.
Note: There are many stories and links on my Bristol Blog at www.bristoltoday.com that go into many of the issues involved in much greater detail. Here are a few worth noting:
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
January 20, 2010
Get ready to pay up, folks
The news that the New York Times plans to start making heavy online readers pay for access -- here's the link -- is just one more indication of how the web's future may play out.
Our own publisher, Michael Schroeder, has frequently said he plans to start charging for access to our newspaper's website. You can be sure the day will come when it happens.
It's an odd thing, really, that more people than ever read stories that reporters write, thanks to all those online readers, but the revenue has not only failed to keep pace, it's declined.
We're actually providing more news to more people than ever. But we have to find ways to bring in the money to pay for reporters, editors, photographers and the array of wonderful people who actually bring in the cash by selling ads and such.
Perhaps the Times is on the right path.
Lord knows we have to do something differently.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Our own publisher, Michael Schroeder, has frequently said he plans to start charging for access to our newspaper's website. You can be sure the day will come when it happens.
It's an odd thing, really, that more people than ever read stories that reporters write, thanks to all those online readers, but the revenue has not only failed to keep pace, it's declined.
We're actually providing more news to more people than ever. But we have to find ways to bring in the money to pay for reporters, editors, photographers and the array of wonderful people who actually bring in the cash by selling ads and such.
Perhaps the Times is on the right path.
Lord knows we have to do something differently.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
January 14, 2010
Former Press editor dies in Massachusetts
A former editor of The Bristol Press, Charlie Hibbert, died last night.
Hibbert, copy desk chief of the Cape Cod Times, was married and had two children.
One of our former Tattoo writers, Amanda Lehmert. a Bristol Central High School, worked as a reporter in Cape Cod with Hibbert before she moved on to the Greensboro, N.C. News & Record.
Lehmert said she shared with Hibbert her humble beginnings at the Press and is "so sad" to hear of his death. Here's a brief remembrance she wrote up:
In my experience, you could not upset Charlie or stress him, even on deadline. One Sunday night when I was working the cops shift, I found out that a the Sandwich police has recovered a dog that had bitten up its owner, been shot by cops, and still ran off. And it was alive, by god. This was, perhaps 15 minutes before Charlie had to wrap up the front page.
He made a tough call easily: unravel the carefully planned front page of the newspaper and plug in this last minute story because it was important to our readers. We had little time to get it right -- but we did it. Not a single grammatical error or spelling mistake.
Other editors might have let the folks pick up the story the next day. Not Charlie. That's what a true newsman is like. And for that he will be sorely missed.
I never met Hibbert, but I do know the world can ill afford to lose quality journalists.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Hibbert, copy desk chief of the Cape Cod Times, was married and had two children.
One of our former Tattoo writers, Amanda Lehmert. a Bristol Central High School, worked as a reporter in Cape Cod with Hibbert before she moved on to the Greensboro, N.C. News & Record.
Lehmert said she shared with Hibbert her humble beginnings at the Press and is "so sad" to hear of his death. Here's a brief remembrance she wrote up:
In my experience, you could not upset Charlie or stress him, even on deadline. One Sunday night when I was working the cops shift, I found out that a the Sandwich police has recovered a dog that had bitten up its owner, been shot by cops, and still ran off. And it was alive, by god. This was, perhaps 15 minutes before Charlie had to wrap up the front page.
He made a tough call easily: unravel the carefully planned front page of the newspaper and plug in this last minute story because it was important to our readers. We had little time to get it right -- but we did it. Not a single grammatical error or spelling mistake.
Other editors might have let the folks pick up the story the next day. Not Charlie. That's what a true newsman is like. And for that he will be sorely missed.
I never met Hibbert, but I do know the world can ill afford to lose quality journalists.
*******
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
October 5, 2009
Documentary film about Bristol Press nearing completion
Last winter, when it appeared The Bristol Press would close, some documentary filmmakers began producing piece for CT Public Television about the demise of the paper. Focusing on the Press, it aimed to tell the larger story of the industry's troubles, and what they mean for cities like Bristol.
Other than making the hideous mistake of putting me on camera -- which good editing could still solve - they seem to have done quite well. You can see some clips here.
The producers are interested in finding potential funders so if you've got some cash sitting around that you can afford to give away -- and you don't feel like giving it to me - then this could be a nice thing to support.
Drop me a line if you're interested in helping them and I'll get you in touch.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Other than making the hideous mistake of putting me on camera -- which good editing could still solve - they seem to have done quite well. You can see some clips here.
The producers are interested in finding potential funders so if you've got some cash sitting around that you can afford to give away -- and you don't feel like giving it to me - then this could be a nice thing to support.
Drop me a line if you're interested in helping them and I'll get you in touch.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 21, 2009
Obama zings blogosphere, loves newspapers
President Barack Obama is a newspaper junkie who's worried that blogs could one day rule the media world.
"Journalistic integrity, you know, fact-based reporting, serious investigative reporting, how to retain those ethics in all these different new media and how to make sure that it's paid for, is really a challenge," Obama told The Toledo Blade. "But it's something that I think is absolutely critical to the health of our democracy."
"I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding," Obama told the paper.
Go read the full story in The Blade. I'm sure it needs the money -- and since it's still employing our old publisher, Joe Zerbey, you're either helping him out a little or helping to make sure he doesn't come back, depending on how you want to look at it.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 14, 2009
Surviving high school with The Tattoo's help
In today's issue of The Tattoo, Youth Journalism International students in seven countries weigh in on high school life, with advice on everything from surviving art class to getting through that first day as a freshman. It's all part of a package of back to school tips that we started a decade ago and now includes almost two dozen issues chock full of practical advice that can help anyone navigate the topsy turvy years before college.
In this issue, we have work from Eugenia Durante in Italy, Caroline Nelissen in the Netherlands, Jenna Potter in Canada, Janani Ramachandran in India, Nicole Megan Gounder in South Africa, Tasman Anderson in Australia and five students in the United States - Luke Pearson and Jacqueline Mejia in New York, Gokce Yurekli in New Jersey, Brice Birdsall in Oregon and Mary Majerus-Collins in Connecticut. It's an incisive, comprehensive take on high school.
Students in Youth Journalism International are gearing up for our 16h year of taking teens seriously. We've got lots of enthusiastic youngsters who eager to learn about journalism, writing, the world and each other. It's a great program. By the way, you can become a Fan of Youth Journalism International on Facebook by clicking here.
We're always eager for your advice, support, constructive criticism or any other help.
By the way, if you missed last week's issue, be sure to click on the "Inside ESPN" box on The Tattoo's front page and check out our behind-the-scenes look at the worldwide leader in sports.
Thanks for reading,
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
In this issue, we have work from Eugenia Durante in Italy, Caroline Nelissen in the Netherlands, Jenna Potter in Canada, Janani Ramachandran in India, Nicole Megan Gounder in South Africa, Tasman Anderson in Australia and five students in the United States - Luke Pearson and Jacqueline Mejia in New York, Gokce Yurekli in New Jersey, Brice Birdsall in Oregon and Mary Majerus-Collins in Connecticut. It's an incisive, comprehensive take on high school.
Students in Youth Journalism International are gearing up for our 16h year of taking teens seriously. We've got lots of enthusiastic youngsters who eager to learn about journalism, writing, the world and each other. It's a great program. By the way, you can become a Fan of Youth Journalism International on Facebook by clicking here.
We're always eager for your advice, support, constructive criticism or any other help.
By the way, if you missed last week's issue, be sure to click on the "Inside ESPN" box on The Tattoo's front page and check out our behind-the-scenes look at the worldwide leader in sports.
Thanks for reading,
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
July 24, 2009
The Courant's slipping standards made clear
Let’s take a look at the evolution of a story that appeared in today’s print edition of The Hartford Courant, a once proud newspaper that apparently has thrown journalistic standards to the wind.
To begin with, take a look at Bristol Press reporter Jackie Majerus’ July 21 story.
BRISTOL — The city’s plan to spruce up Main Street is delayed at least another month..
The Bristol Development Authority’s streetscape project, which will add decorative enhancements like brick pavers, street trees, benches and lighting, is slated to extend along the east side of Main Street from Riverside Avenue to Center Street.
On the west side of Main Street, there won’t be any changes until past the railroad track at the edge of the city-owned former mall property, where some improvements are slated.
The project is supposed to mirror the work the BDA oversaw on North Main Street few years ago, but the non-profit board that oversees the 17-acre, former mall property hasn’t signed off on it yet, temporarily halting the streetscape project and possibly jeopardizing the state funding to pay for it.
The BDA expects the state to pay $1.5 million toward the work and the city to pick up the rest of the tab, about $250,000, but if the work isn’t started soon, the state might withdraw the money, according to Jonathan Rosenthal, executive director of the BDA.
The problem is that state funds for downtown projects are now pooled, which means that not only the BDA, but the mall site overseers, the Bristol Downtown Development Corp., must also endorse projects and expenditures.
But some on the BDDC board — most notably, Jennifer Janelle — weren’t ready to give the go-ahead.
Because the BDDC just selected a firm to do a parking study, Janelle said, it only makes sense to let them do the work before the streetscape project that involves parking along the former mall property gets under way.
"Let’s give them the opportunity," said Janelle. She said the city could move ahead with signing contracts for the streetscape while the parking study is under way.
The study may end up recommending parking meters, pay stations or other things, said Janelle, that could impact the streetscape. The streetscape can wait a little longer to get the input from the parking specialists at Tighe & Bond, the company doing the study, she said.
City Councilor Ken Cockayne, who is the council liaison to the board and doesn’t have a vote, strongly opposed the streetscape.
By doing the work on Main Street, Cockayne said, the city would take away parking spots that are needed now. He also charged that the project is wasteful.
"We’re spending money because we have it," and it is important to do the parking study first, said Cocknye. But John Lodovico, a BDDC member, said he spoke with some of the business operators along Main Street and found they were unconcerned about the expected loss of two parking spaces under the streetscape plan.
Dick Harrall, the executive director of the BDDC, said the parking study would probably not get into the kind of detail on the east side of Main Street that the streetscape plan does.
Both Harrall and BDDC Chairman Frank Johnson said any new developer will have to take the parking needs of Main Street merchants into account when planning the use of the 17 acres.
Rosenthal agreed, saying the parking study will delve into areas behind buildings and other spots, while the streetscape is a much narrower focus.
But if the streetscape project isn’t approved and moving forward soon, according to Lodovico and Rosenthal, there’s a good chance that the state will yank the funding and the project either wouldn’t be done or the city would end up paying for all of it.
Rosenthal said he needed the BDDC’s endorsement before he could proceed.
"It’s not ours to hold up," said Gardener Wright, a BDDC member.
"I would say it is," said Rosenthal. "You’re controlling the money." If they don’t endorse it, he said, the message is that the city isn’t committed to the project.
The BDA voted a year ago on the streetscape design.
Johnson said the BDDC spent considerable time at two of its meetings arguing "over two parking spots" on Main Street. He said Main Street business owners care about more than parking, and that streetscape improvements will help them.
Johnson and others argued that the streetscape is a "separate issue" from the mall site and the parking study isn’t needed to proceed.
Janelle said it is about coordinating the work downtown, not just about two parking spaces.
"It should all just be done at once," she said. "To me, it’s inefficient."
After a heated exchange, at a BDDC meeting Monday, Johnson referenced Biblical King Solomon’s dilemma and offered to "split the baby" by having the parking consultants look at that block of Main Street first, make a recommendation about the streetscape and then proceed with the rest of their study.
Rosenthal — who was worried about the timing — said, "I think it’s a good compromise. It doesn’t delay things too much."
Johnson said he wants to see the streetscape project done on Main Street. It will help businesses on the street, show residents some progress downtown and also demonstrate to potential developers a commitment to the area. The BDDC will take it up again at its August meeting, he said.
On the Courant’s website, Aviv Blasbalg rewrote the piece in an abbreviated way without doing any original reporting (see it here). He did, however, credit The Bristol Press with almost all of the information contained in the piece, sprinkling his report with “the Bristol Press reported” or “told the Press.”
Just to be clear, here’s what the Courant put on its website on Thursday, July 23:
Main Street project delayed
BRISTOL — - A delay to a project to spruce up Bristol's Main Street, caused by another committee's decision to conduct a parking study, could result in the project losing state funding, the Bristol Press reported.
The Bristol Development Authority's streetscape project is supposed to add enhancements such as brick pavers, trees, benches and lighting along the east side of Main Street, from Riverside Avenue to Center Street.
The project is being delayed at least a month as a result of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.'s decision this week to conduct a $36,800 parking study of a 17-acre former mall located near that stretch of Main Street.
The state is expected to pay $1.5 million for the streetscape project, with the city paying about $250,000, but if work does not begin soon, the state may withdraw the money, BDA executive director Jonathan Rosenthal told the Press.
State money for downtown projects is pooled, which means the BDDC must also endorse any projects and expenditures.
While the BDA has given the go-ahead for the streetscape project, the BDDC has not because some members of that board want the parking study completed first, the Press reported.
BDDC member Jennifer Janelle said the study could recommend parking meters or pay stations that would alter the streetscape project, the Press reported.
The two committees agreed to a compromise in which the firm conducting the study, Tighe & Bond of Westfield, Mass., will take a look at that stretch of Main Street first and make a recommendation before proceeding with the rest of the study, the Press reported.
— Aviv Blasbalg
That version was aggravating mostly because it is so irksome that a Courant staffer who could be out doing real reporting was instead rewriting someone else’s story. That’s pretty low. But at least the story was honest in telling readers where the information came from.
But now consider the final transition of Majerus’ story, in the Courant’s Friday, July 24 print edition on page A8.
I don't think the print version is online anywhere, but it reads, in its entirety:
BRISTOL – A delay to the project to spruce up Bristol’s Main Street could result in the project’s losing its state funding.
The Bristol Development Authority’s streetscape project will add enhancements such as brick pavers, trees, benches and lighting along the east side of Main Street.
The project is being delayed at least a month as a result of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.’s decision this week to conduct a $36,800 parking study of a 17-acre former mall near that stretch of Main Street.
The state is expected to pay $1.5 million for the streetscape project, with the city paying about $250,000, but if work does not begin soon, the state may withdraw the money, said Jonathan Rosenthal, executive director of the development authority.
Notice how it is essentially the same story as the one that appeared online, stripped down even further. But there’s no longer even a hint that everything in it came from the story in the Press that Majerus wrote three days earlier.
Just to make sure, I called Rosenthal. He confirmed to me today that nobody from the Courant spoke to him this week. Yet there he is, quoted in the Courant.
That’s sleazy, cheap and thoroughly unprofessional journalism by the Courant, a paper that once had integrity from cover to cover. Now it runs slapdash theft and calls it news.
*******
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
June 14, 2009
Kicking out the press
Inside the New Britain DMV office yesterday were more than 140 people clutching numbers and waiting for their turn at the counter. Most of them were sitting in little waiting areas -- not bad for a government office but still excruciating.
I met one guy who'd been there for three hours already, waiting for his turn at the counter.
I talked to a few people, who were pretty nice, before a fellow walked up to me, identified himself as the manager and asked me if I was a reporter.
I said yes.
He said that he was sorry, but that the Department of Motor Vehicles doesn't allow reporters inside their buildings to wander around talking to people.
I couldn't believe it, since the people inside were just sitting there, bored out of their minds, but I didn't quarrel with him.
I told him I understood it wasn't his rule and that I'd take it up with the DMV on Monday.
Let's consider this for a second, though: There I am in an office slated for closure, talking to the people who use it and I'm booted out?
It's not as if I was interfering with the operations of the place, or even bothering anybody. This isn't the sort of story that I'm going to get in someone's face and insist that they tell all. If they wanted to talk, fine. If they didn't, fine. I just moved on, quietly and respectfully. That's usually how I am anyway.
Why would there be a policy -- a potentially unconstitutional one, by the way -- to limit access to a public waiting area in a public building?
I can't wait to hear the rationale for it.
Given that the state constitution specifically says that "no law shall ever be passed to curtail or restrain the liberty of speech or of the press" I'm particularly eager to hear how throwing reporters out of the DMV waiting rooms isn't a restraint on the press.
It strikes me as yet another example of government prefering to do its work as far from prying eyes as possible.
In this case, it's simply nuts, since everyone I talked with had kind words for the employees, no real problems with the DMV and as far as I could see, the New Britain office was humming along efficiently. It was just mobbed.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
May 5, 2009
Courant suffers another major blow?
The news in today's Hartford Courant that its two top editors have been given the heave-ho and that an "interim editor" will be reporting to someone with the title of "senior vice president in charge of news content" for the Courant and Channel 61 leaves me cold.
Sure, the paper's new publisher, Richard Graziano, has already made quite a splash on the news since his arrival in town a month ago. But what he's doing to the news is what really matters.
And it doesn't look pretty so far.
The Courant reported today that it has lost 45 percent of its newsroom personnel in the past 16 months. That's just a little short of half its reporters, editors, copy editors, photographers, sportswriters and so on. So it's no wonder the paper can't even begin to do the wide range of stories it had not so long ago.
I don't have the answers to stop newspapers from sliding away into oblivion, but I'm quite sure that putting TV people in charge isn't the solution, that slicing away experienced hands won't help and that gutting the core mission of the newspaper doesn't exactly appeal to those who read it.
Those of us in the newspaper racket desperately need to experiment, to see what new things might catch on, to integrate the web with what we do much more seamlessly and holistically, but there seems to be a feeling in the executive suites that the problem with newspapers is that they want to cover news.
And the one thing I'm sure about is that if the only way to keep people interested in newspapers is to gut them, then the hell with 'em.
I'm having a hard time believing that a publisher who thinks driving drunken young women around in the middle of the night is a good idea is the guy with the answers to the problems afflicting our state's flagship newspaper.
PS: You can read the relevant letters to Courant staffers on CT News Junkie.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
April 15, 2009
Paying to read the newspaper online?
In what may prove the next step toward trying to make some money online, newspapers are eyeing the possibility of making readers pay to read their content on the web.
The latest to give it a shot is the Journal Inquirer, our east-of-the-river brethren, which announced its intentions here.
The JI is not charging its print subscribers to read it online, but is developing some way to make people who are not buying the paper shell out something to eyeball much of its stuff via the internet.
Whether that'll work or not, I have no idea.
But don't be surprised if The Bristol Press makes a similar decision. Following the JI's lead is not a bad strategy for both making money and making a difference.
My suggestion for one and all is to subscribe to the Press. That's what pays my less than breathtaking salary and that's what makes it possible for us to get out there and report the news.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The latest to give it a shot is the Journal Inquirer, our east-of-the-river brethren, which announced its intentions here.
The JI is not charging its print subscribers to read it online, but is developing some way to make people who are not buying the paper shell out something to eyeball much of its stuff via the internet.
Whether that'll work or not, I have no idea.
But don't be surprised if The Bristol Press makes a similar decision. Following the JI's lead is not a bad strategy for both making money and making a difference.
My suggestion for one and all is to subscribe to the Press. That's what pays my less than breathtaking salary and that's what makes it possible for us to get out there and report the news.
Update on Friday, April 17th -- Apparently, the JI's experiment is going pretty well. They're providing full access to the paper's website for subscribers. Those who don't subscribe can pay the $154 it would have cost them to get the paper for a year -- and if they don't want the dead tree version, they can simply donate the hard copy to the Newspapers in Education program.
What's interesting to me is that some of the new subscribers are from out of the area, presumably retirees who have moved to sunnier climes or just refugees from Connecticut who want to make a living somewhere. Those folks are a new market for the paper, which otherwise had no reasonable way to make any money off of them.
If the JI continues to see this as successful, you can bet your bottom dollar that The Bristol Press won't be the only other daily in Connecticut to give it a try as well. But I trust we'll upgrade our website first!
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
April 9, 2009
One way to save newspapers?
One California newspaper's 'idea' for saving newspapers...
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 30, 2009
Another blow to the Courant
A television guy just took over as publisher of The Hartford Courant. His first move? To combine the Courant's dwindling newsroom with those of two TV stations owned by Tribune Co.
This can't be good for journalism or the Courant.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 9, 2009
22 years as a reporter...
Today marks my 22nd year working as a reporter. Some people just never wise up, I guess.
I remember that first day on the job back at a gutsy little paper in Auburn, New York, where I showed up to see if I could work as a political reporter.
They shoved me at a county legislature meeting with 21 representatives, half of them crazy. That night one of them accused a colleague of being a crook. And that was the before things got wild.
When it was all over, I went back to the place where they'd put me up, knowing that I had to prove myself. I wrote and rewrote my story all night.
In the morning, I went to the office. The editors asked if anything had happened that I should write about. I gave them a little synopsis.
Write it, they said.
Having no idea that I'd already crafted the story over and over, they were awed that an hour later I had a decent piece of journalism to throw their way. They, of course, rewrote some of it anyway, because in those days we had a lot of editors who had a lot of time, at least compared to newspapers now.
I got the job, making a whopping $13,000 a year, not even enough to cover my school loans.
But I was happy. And here I am, 22 years later, a survivor so far of the news massacre that's tossed so many reporters out of this wonderful if undercompensated business.
I could have made more money, for sure, but even after all these years, I still find it amazing that I get paid to write, to tell stories that need telling, and to make a difference to so many lives over so many years.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
I remember that first day on the job back at a gutsy little paper in Auburn, New York, where I showed up to see if I could work as a political reporter.
They shoved me at a county legislature meeting with 21 representatives, half of them crazy. That night one of them accused a colleague of being a crook. And that was the before things got wild.
When it was all over, I went back to the place where they'd put me up, knowing that I had to prove myself. I wrote and rewrote my story all night.
In the morning, I went to the office. The editors asked if anything had happened that I should write about. I gave them a little synopsis.
Write it, they said.
Having no idea that I'd already crafted the story over and over, they were awed that an hour later I had a decent piece of journalism to throw their way. They, of course, rewrote some of it anyway, because in those days we had a lot of editors who had a lot of time, at least compared to newspapers now.
I got the job, making a whopping $13,000 a year, not even enough to cover my school loans.
But I was happy. And here I am, 22 years later, a survivor so far of the news massacre that's tossed so many reporters out of this wonderful if undercompensated business.
I could have made more money, for sure, but even after all these years, I still find it amazing that I get paid to write, to tell stories that need telling, and to make a difference to so many lives over so many years.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 5, 2009
Bristol Press executive editor leaving
We heard from Publisher Mike Schroeder a couple of hours ago that our paper's executive editor, Marc Levy, is no longer with the company. I hope this will help with efforts to transform The Bristol Press.
The editor of The Bristol Press itself, Bill Sarno, remains on the job, fortunately.
Schroeder said we'd likely hear on Friday about Levy's successor.
What does it mean for readers? We'll find out in the days and weeks ahead, of course, but I'm pretty sure that any change will bring less of a New Britain focus to the pages of the Press.
We've had a long run now of executive editors in New Britain who didn't know much of anything about Bristol. They don't really need to know much, when you come right down to it, as long as they recognize their limitations. Regrettably, that hasn't usually been the case.
As for me, I look on this as yet another opportunity to strengthen the Press and push it toward the new day that our newspaper box cards are promising everyone. Let's hope that new day proves bright and sunny.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
The editor of The Bristol Press itself, Bill Sarno, remains on the job, fortunately.
Schroeder said we'd likely hear on Friday about Levy's successor.
What does it mean for readers? We'll find out in the days and weeks ahead, of course, but I'm pretty sure that any change will bring less of a New Britain focus to the pages of the Press.
We've had a long run now of executive editors in New Britain who didn't know much of anything about Bristol. They don't really need to know much, when you come right down to it, as long as they recognize their limitations. Regrettably, that hasn't usually been the case.
As for me, I look on this as yet another opportunity to strengthen the Press and push it toward the new day that our newspaper box cards are promising everyone. Let's hope that new day proves bright and sunny.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 4, 2009
They found me in a time capsule
Good Lord. I can't pretend that I'm not getting up there when they're digging up my stuff in a time capsule.
That is very strange.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
That is very strange.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Update on the Press
Since I'm constantly asked how things are going at the paper by those who actually see me, I figure I should probably let everyone in on what little I have to say. One thing I learned from the whole 'paper is going to close' episode is that there's no point in staying mum.
Perhaps the biggest change in recent weeks is that we're going to print the paper in Northhampton, Mass. now, not in Torrington. That's one more tie to the old company that's nearly cut.
That doesn't matter much to readers, I suppose, but it's a key step to separating entirely from the bankrupt former owner. That's a good thing.
A positive move for employees is that we are once again covered by health insurance, after a five week gap. That's obviously important. What's more, the insurance seems pretty good and the cost is a little lower than what we had before (though we still pay something like 40 percent of the premium plus a couple thousand more for using it, so I'm painfully aware of how much better city workers' benefits are than my own, for those who wonder).
We have three reporters working in Bristol now -- Jackie and I cover the city while Diane Church covers Plymouth and Burlington. There were a couple of weeks when we didn't have a towns reporter so we're glad to have her aboard. Even so, three is still one less than we had as recently as December, but perhaps we'll get a new police reporter one day soon. I sure hope so. We need it.
All in all, though, I see progress. We're moving in the right direction. Mike Schroeder, our boss, is looking for new office space. We all expect to move within a few months, but so far there's no word on where the new quarters will be.
I don't know if advertising or circulation is up, but I'd be surprised if it hasn't improved at least a little since Schroeder bought the paper. I know we had a circulation bump right off the bat.
I should repeat my plea that if you want a quality local paper, you buy it, read it and tell Schroeder or any of us what you would like to see in it. Tell us how it can get better. We're all eager to see this experiment work out -- and not just because it's nice to have jobs.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Perhaps the biggest change in recent weeks is that we're going to print the paper in Northhampton, Mass. now, not in Torrington. That's one more tie to the old company that's nearly cut.
That doesn't matter much to readers, I suppose, but it's a key step to separating entirely from the bankrupt former owner. That's a good thing.
A positive move for employees is that we are once again covered by health insurance, after a five week gap. That's obviously important. What's more, the insurance seems pretty good and the cost is a little lower than what we had before (though we still pay something like 40 percent of the premium plus a couple thousand more for using it, so I'm painfully aware of how much better city workers' benefits are than my own, for those who wonder).
We have three reporters working in Bristol now -- Jackie and I cover the city while Diane Church covers Plymouth and Burlington. There were a couple of weeks when we didn't have a towns reporter so we're glad to have her aboard. Even so, three is still one less than we had as recently as December, but perhaps we'll get a new police reporter one day soon. I sure hope so. We need it.
All in all, though, I see progress. We're moving in the right direction. Mike Schroeder, our boss, is looking for new office space. We all expect to move within a few months, but so far there's no word on where the new quarters will be.
I don't know if advertising or circulation is up, but I'd be surprised if it hasn't improved at least a little since Schroeder bought the paper. I know we had a circulation bump right off the bat.
I should repeat my plea that if you want a quality local paper, you buy it, read it and tell Schroeder or any of us what you would like to see in it. Tell us how it can get better. We're all eager to see this experiment work out -- and not just because it's nice to have jobs.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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