02-07-2009, 07:54 AM
Damon, thanks for helping me make my points. Many of those news sources you mentioned, such the Advertiser blogs and the tweets, exist (so far, at least) because they are part of those journalist's day jobs. And most of those other online sources you mentioned ARE newspapers.
Your numbers also are a bit misleading. In case you forgot, in addition to the 7,000 hits the Tribune-Herald receives, it also puts out some 18,000 newspapers, many of which are read by several or more people. That means its coverage probably reaches more than 50,000 people a day, at least 30 times the number of hits you receive. And I'm guessing you spend most of your day on your blog, which most people do not have the luxury of doing. The time required to do one right is the main reason I don't have one. I have to make a living, and few blogs provide that.
And of course the local newspaper should have covered the zero waste meeting. Remember my point about local news. People will always want to know what's going on around them, and not just in Puna. It's unfortunate that the Trib Ð and after working there for nearly 20 years I know a thing or two about it Ð places community service at such a low priority. How else can you characterize its illegal firing of two reporters with a combined 35 years of experience in this community simply because they chose to stand up for the legal rights of their colleagues?
I don't fault the staffers in all this; they are doing what they can. But they suffer through another example of the Trib's lack of community dedication: the size of the staff it chooses to hire. According to national averages (of course those figures are changing some lately), the Trib's editorial staff has long been less than half the size it should be for its circulation numbers. And that doesn't even count the unique challenges here, such as culture and geography. Having to cover 4,000 square miles with a handful of reporters puts an incredible strain on the staff, especially for one with low morale (see paragraph above). I'm hoping that my return to the staff, after the newspaper's appeals run their course, will help that somewhat.
The above points are the prime reasons why the Trib's circulation numbers are stagnant or dropping (it doesn't release them any more) despite East Hawaii's rapid population increase. But for many years the Trib has been one of Stephens Media's cash cows, and as long as management keeps choosing large profits over service, there will be little change.
I'm sorry if you're miffed that I didn't mention you in the same sentence with Hunter and Ian. I do appreciate the time and effort you expend putting up very large amounts of content, and I see that you're making more of an effort to report matters responsibly. You'll notice I haven't accused you of Enquiresque posts for some time. But maybe you could use a little of that time to review your old grammar text? Merely admitting your failings in that area doesn't make it more professional or easier to read. And saying that one of your strong points is that the content can "easily be corrected" doesn't do much to instill credibility.
But even Tiffany and your extensive efforts don't cover all events and issues. It's obvious both of you are relying more and more on press releases, many of which are printed verbatim (Tiffany rewrites hers more). While that's good to an extent, most if not all of of them are already available online, and the tough part Ð and that includes the time it requires Ð is placing them in context. Years ago, an editor told me that the most important thing about journalism is "perspective, perspective, perspective." Facts are good, he would say, but WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN? I'm not criticizing you for your use of press releases because it's good to get the word out, and all newspapers do it to some extent. It's just that blogs don't have the (wo)manpower to cover all the bases that newspapers do, such as community items, obituaries, announcements, etc. It's simply a matter of scale. For example, how many people read your blog for the coupons?
I'm not knocking blogs; I read and enjoy many of them regularly. It's just that while blogs and sources like Hawaii247 are filling some online gaps, there's still a place for newspapers. Just expect some major changes as they look for ways to adapt to the 21st century.
Your numbers also are a bit misleading. In case you forgot, in addition to the 7,000 hits the Tribune-Herald receives, it also puts out some 18,000 newspapers, many of which are read by several or more people. That means its coverage probably reaches more than 50,000 people a day, at least 30 times the number of hits you receive. And I'm guessing you spend most of your day on your blog, which most people do not have the luxury of doing. The time required to do one right is the main reason I don't have one. I have to make a living, and few blogs provide that.
And of course the local newspaper should have covered the zero waste meeting. Remember my point about local news. People will always want to know what's going on around them, and not just in Puna. It's unfortunate that the Trib Ð and after working there for nearly 20 years I know a thing or two about it Ð places community service at such a low priority. How else can you characterize its illegal firing of two reporters with a combined 35 years of experience in this community simply because they chose to stand up for the legal rights of their colleagues?
I don't fault the staffers in all this; they are doing what they can. But they suffer through another example of the Trib's lack of community dedication: the size of the staff it chooses to hire. According to national averages (of course those figures are changing some lately), the Trib's editorial staff has long been less than half the size it should be for its circulation numbers. And that doesn't even count the unique challenges here, such as culture and geography. Having to cover 4,000 square miles with a handful of reporters puts an incredible strain on the staff, especially for one with low morale (see paragraph above). I'm hoping that my return to the staff, after the newspaper's appeals run their course, will help that somewhat.
The above points are the prime reasons why the Trib's circulation numbers are stagnant or dropping (it doesn't release them any more) despite East Hawaii's rapid population increase. But for many years the Trib has been one of Stephens Media's cash cows, and as long as management keeps choosing large profits over service, there will be little change.
I'm sorry if you're miffed that I didn't mention you in the same sentence with Hunter and Ian. I do appreciate the time and effort you expend putting up very large amounts of content, and I see that you're making more of an effort to report matters responsibly. You'll notice I haven't accused you of Enquiresque posts for some time. But maybe you could use a little of that time to review your old grammar text? Merely admitting your failings in that area doesn't make it more professional or easier to read. And saying that one of your strong points is that the content can "easily be corrected" doesn't do much to instill credibility.
But even Tiffany and your extensive efforts don't cover all events and issues. It's obvious both of you are relying more and more on press releases, many of which are printed verbatim (Tiffany rewrites hers more). While that's good to an extent, most if not all of of them are already available online, and the tough part Ð and that includes the time it requires Ð is placing them in context. Years ago, an editor told me that the most important thing about journalism is "perspective, perspective, perspective." Facts are good, he would say, but WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN? I'm not criticizing you for your use of press releases because it's good to get the word out, and all newspapers do it to some extent. It's just that blogs don't have the (wo)manpower to cover all the bases that newspapers do, such as community items, obituaries, announcements, etc. It's simply a matter of scale. For example, how many people read your blog for the coupons?
I'm not knocking blogs; I read and enjoy many of them regularly. It's just that while blogs and sources like Hawaii247 are filling some online gaps, there's still a place for newspapers. Just expect some major changes as they look for ways to adapt to the 21st century.