“The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love”
COMMUNITY JOURNALISM:
‘The Toughest Job You’ll Ever Love’
Speaker: Jock Lauterer
Saturday morning concurrent session 10:15 A.M.
Ninety-seven percent of all American newspapers are “small newspapers,” where staffs practice a style of journalism very different from the major metro’s or TV. What is this thing called “community journalism” and why is it vital to the maintenance of community life and civic engagement? In the words of one successful publisher: “Just because we’re small-town doesn’t mean we’re small-time.” The speaker, the author of the current text on the subject and a former community newspaper editor-publisher, promises to recharge your batteries while reminding you of why what you do is so important. Bring along your questions, too.
At community newspapers, where hard news/ breaking news happens only occasionally, features fill a big portion of the “news hole.” Much-maligned as “fluff ” and “puff,” such so-called “soft news” story/ photo packages actually should enliven your paper with excellence, stimulate your readers to think, feel and act, while proving your community with an ongoing sense of place and the human condition. The speaker will present a “best practices” session from community newspapers across the country sure to inspire beginners and affirm old-timers.