Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday | Jan. 31 | Your News & Comments
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Man bites blog: A layoff story idea -- with a twist
Note: We self-employed bloggers gotta market ourselves, which is one reason I'm posting the following pitch.
Jim Hopkins was 50 years old last year, when USA Today owner Gannett Co. offered him a buyout after more than two decades as a reporter and editor. He joined a wave of aging journalists kicked to the curb, often replaced by younger, lower-paid workers deemed better at new technologies like blogging.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the bottom line.
Within a year, Hopkins had used free Internet software to create a blog that effectively hijacked employee communications of a Fortune 500 company: Gannett itself. Only yesterday, Gannett Blog recorded its one-millionth visit since the site's public launch 17 months ago. This month alone, it drew more than 42,000 unique visitors, viewing another 361,000 pages, a new Google Analytics report shows.
Hopkins spotlights the new challenges employers face as growing numbers of "citizen journalists" harness cheap technologies to level the playing field between management and workers. More broadly, his story is a cautionary tale for a time when Corporate America is shedding millions of workers -- in some cases, too indiscriminately.
Yesterday, Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow reportedly conceded that the blogger had forced fellow directors to consider whether he violated company ethics rules in his handling of $40,000 in still unaccounted-for Gannett Foundation grants. In a webcast conference aimed at about 42,000 employees worldwide, Dubow said directors dismissed the blogger's allegations, without formal public notice.
That followed Gannett's confirmation of another blog report: Its newspaper division president was competing last week in a golf tournament where amateurs pay up to $25,000 to play with a PGA pro. Bob Dickey's headline-grabbing appearance at the Palm Springs, Calif., winter resort came just days after he threatened the Tucson Citizen with shutdown, and ordered thousands of other workers on unpaid furloughs, Hopkins wrote.
After the report, Gannett said Dickey wrote a check to the company so he could participate in the events. But it was too late: His Bob Hope Chrysler Classic play date made the nation's top newspaper gossip column, the New York Post's Page Six -- plus leading media industry blogs Gawker and Jim Romenesko.
Today, Dubow's webconference began just minutes after Gannett shares closed at $5.77 -- plunging 16%, after Gannett surprised Wall Street in its fourth-quarter report with another unprecedented, multibillion-dollar write-down.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Jim Hopkins was 50 years old last year, when USA Today owner Gannett Co. offered him a buyout after more than two decades as a reporter and editor. He joined a wave of aging journalists kicked to the curb, often replaced by younger, lower-paid workers deemed better at new technologies like blogging.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the bottom line.
Within a year, Hopkins had used free Internet software to create a blog that effectively hijacked employee communications of a Fortune 500 company: Gannett itself. Only yesterday, Gannett Blog recorded its one-millionth visit since the site's public launch 17 months ago. This month alone, it drew more than 42,000 unique visitors, viewing another 361,000 pages, a new Google Analytics report shows.Hopkins spotlights the new challenges employers face as growing numbers of "citizen journalists" harness cheap technologies to level the playing field between management and workers. More broadly, his story is a cautionary tale for a time when Corporate America is shedding millions of workers -- in some cases, too indiscriminately.
Yesterday, Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow reportedly conceded that the blogger had forced fellow directors to consider whether he violated company ethics rules in his handling of $40,000 in still unaccounted-for Gannett Foundation grants. In a webcast conference aimed at about 42,000 employees worldwide, Dubow said directors dismissed the blogger's allegations, without formal public notice.
That followed Gannett's confirmation of another blog report: Its newspaper division president was competing last week in a golf tournament where amateurs pay up to $25,000 to play with a PGA pro. Bob Dickey's headline-grabbing appearance at the Palm Springs, Calif., winter resort came just days after he threatened the Tucson Citizen with shutdown, and ordered thousands of other workers on unpaid furloughs, Hopkins wrote.After the report, Gannett said Dickey wrote a check to the company so he could participate in the events. But it was too late: His Bob Hope Chrysler Classic play date made the nation's top newspaper gossip column, the New York Post's Page Six -- plus leading media industry blogs Gawker and Jim Romenesko.
Today, Dubow's webconference began just minutes after Gannett shares closed at $5.77 -- plunging 16%, after Gannett surprised Wall Street in its fourth-quarter report with another unprecedented, multibillion-dollar write-down.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Exclusive!!! More intercepted e-mail to POTUS*
[Obama, Burns, Martore]
TO: President Barack H. Obama
FROM: C. Montgomery Burns, loyal Gannett employee
CC: Gracia Martore, Gannett chief financial officer
DATE: Jan. 30, 2009
RE: Objection to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office No. 08-H4388
We seek an emergency Executive Order, blocking an application by Jim Hopkins of San Francisco to register a slogan for a secret new chain of rogue corporate blogs modeled after his existing site (a blog so unwholesome, we do not utter its name in our Corporate office).
Mr. President, the First Amendment is all well and good. But a slogan like this must not be allowed:
A shitty company deserves a kick-ass blog
I'm trying to earn $6,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green sidebar, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.* POTUS
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday | Jan. 30 | Your News & Comments
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How to write a letter to Gannett's law department
Following is the text of a letter I've just sent to the Law Department, regarding recent events associated with the Gannett Foundation.
Jan. 30, 2009
Barbara Wall
Vice president, associate general counsel
Gannett Co. Inc.
7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Va.
Via e-mail
Barbara:
I am writing to you as a stockholder of the Gannett Co. Inc.
Would you please provide an update on the issues I raised in my Dec. 22 letter regarding Mr. Dubow?
Jim Hopkins
San Francisco, Calif.
Jan. 30, 2009
Barbara Wall
Vice president, associate general counsel
Gannett Co. Inc.
7950 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Va.
Via e-mail
Barbara:
I am writing to you as a stockholder of the Gannett Co. Inc.
Would you please provide an update on the issues I raised in my Dec. 22 letter regarding Mr. Dubow?
Jim Hopkins
San Francisco, Calif.
Slashing overhead, Gannett has cut 4,000 jobs
That is a surprise, given the company's attempts to knock down my estimate that as many as 3,000 newspaper jobs would be slashed in December alone. When I first posted that estimate, spokeswoman Tara Connell told news services that the final figure would be "significantly less.''
Today, however, Chief Financial Officer Gracia Martore told a teleconference of Wall Street analysts on the fourth-quarter earnings report: "I've confirmed that indeed it was about 4,000 FTEs across all of our segments,'' according to Seeking Alpha's transcript.
To be sure, Martore's figure may be for all of 2008; the transcript isn't clear. In any case, a year ago, global employment totaled 46,100.
Today, however, Chief Financial Officer Gracia Martore told a teleconference of Wall Street analysts on the fourth-quarter earnings report: "I've confirmed that indeed it was about 4,000 FTEs across all of our segments,'' according to Seeking Alpha's transcript.
To be sure, Martore's figure may be for all of 2008; the transcript isn't clear. In any case, a year ago, global employment totaled 46,100.
Readers: Board rejects my Dubow ethics complaint
Gannett Chairman and CEO Craig Dubow (left) disclosed today that fellow board members dismissed an ethics complaint I brought against him a month ago over $40,000 in Gannett Foundation money he directed to a North Carolina university. The company and the school, Western Carolina University, refuse to say whether the money was deposited in a scholarship fund honoring Dubow and his wife.Dubow's remarks came in response to an employee question during an early afternoon webconference for GCI's approximately 42,000 workers, Gannett Blog readers say. "The board selected a third-party law firm to fully investigate the complaint,'' Anonymous@5:01 p.m. says. "The complaint was found to be without merit (as determined by the law firm) and the board accepted their finding."
The conference followed release of dismal fourth-quarter financial results, where net income plunged 36% from a year before and the company wrote off as much as $5.9 billion in assets. Shares plunged anew on heavy volume, closing at $5.77 -- down 16%.Dubow's statement is Gannett's first public acknowledgement of my month-old complaint, and its outcome. My concerns focused on whether he violated the ethics policy in directing the $40,000 to Western Carolina University, under a charity perquisite available to select current and former top executives.
Also, I expressed concerns over whether the company had properly reported the Gannett Management Committee perquisite as a benefit to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the annual proxy report to shareholders.
Dubow, 54, has been chairman and CEO since July 2006.
Where's the $40K?
Gannett and the school, in Cullowhee, N.C., will not say whether the money was deposited in the Craig A. and Denise W. Dubow Endowed Scholarship Fund. To be eligible, students must live in one of three North Carolina counties, effectively making the fund off-limits to virtually all employees.
I gave the complaint Dec. 22 to Barbara Wall, vice president and associate general counsel, with a request that it be given to Karen Hastie Williams (left), the lead independent member of the board of directors. I also sent a copy to Williams.In an e-mail the following day, Wall wrote: "Yes, I did receive the email you sent outlining your concerns and I forwarded it to Karen Hastie Williams yesterday. As I told you in my last email, the issues you raised are being carefully reviewed."
To the best of my knowledge, however, I was never notified of the case's final disposition.
In an e-mail I got this afternoon, a reader quotes Dubow saying: "Because the complaint concerned me," Williams referred the matter to an outside law firm "for third party independence."
The reader's note continues: "He said the matter was checked out by the independent firm, which he did not name; and he said the firm found 'no merit to the question' and no problems related to the actions of the Gannett Foundation, no problems related to company policy or the SEC. The matter 'was taken to an outside law firm for third-party independence.'"
A question for SEC enforcement
Is the board's action a material event that should be reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a Form 8-K?
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
FAQs About Me: A blogger's weekly work schedule
Part of an occasional series about yours truly.
Q. How many hours a week do you put into the blog?
A. Probably about 40, spread across all seven days. That means I'm earning $11.54 an hour, assuming I hit my goal of $24,000 in annual blog income. (I got paid $53.85 an hour, excluding the value of benefits, when I took a USA Today buyout a year ago.)
Those benefits are valuable. I pay $400 a month for a COBRA medical policy vs. the $150 a month I paid as an employee. The policy only covers me, and is identical to the plan I had until my severance ended -- with one key difference: is I now pay the full cost.
Got a question? Leave it in the comments section, below. You can also e-mail FAQs About Me via gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Q. How many hours a week do you put into the blog?
A. Probably about 40, spread across all seven days. That means I'm earning $11.54 an hour, assuming I hit my goal of $24,000 in annual blog income. (I got paid $53.85 an hour, excluding the value of benefits, when I took a USA Today buyout a year ago.)
Those benefits are valuable. I pay $400 a month for a COBRA medical policy vs. the $150 a month I paid as an employee. The policy only covers me, and is identical to the plan I had until my severance ended -- with one key difference: is I now pay the full cost.
Got a question? Leave it in the comments section, below. You can also e-mail FAQs About Me via gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Calling all employees who heard Dubow talk today
Has the CEO rejected my ethics policy complaint to the board of directors, about $40,000 in Gannett Foundation charitable money he steered to a North Carolina university with a scholarship fund named for him and his wife?
I ask after reading the following comments, which appear to concern remarks Craig Dubow (left) made during a 1 p.m. ET webconference with employees, ostensibly to discuss today's dismal fourth-quarter earnings report.
Anonymous@1:18 p.m. wrote: "Damn! Someone talked about Dubow and the Gannett (Foundation). . . . The Dickey golfing trip."
Then, Anonymous@1:21 p.m. said: "'No merit to the complaint whatsoever.' HA! What a fucking punk! This $7 million-plus asshole couldn't even say, 'I'm sorry for any misunderstanding and will reimburse the foundation in full for the donation.' What a morally bankrupt son of a bitch, and what a pathetic set of management."
I am not authorized to access the webconference. ASAP, would someone please provide a transcript of the relevant section?
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
I ask after reading the following comments, which appear to concern remarks Craig Dubow (left) made during a 1 p.m. ET webconference with employees, ostensibly to discuss today's dismal fourth-quarter earnings report.Anonymous@1:18 p.m. wrote: "Damn! Someone talked about Dubow and the Gannett (Foundation). . . . The Dickey golfing trip."
Then, Anonymous@1:21 p.m. said: "'No merit to the complaint whatsoever.' HA! What a fucking punk! This $7 million-plus asshole couldn't even say, 'I'm sorry for any misunderstanding and will reimburse the foundation in full for the donation.' What a morally bankrupt son of a bitch, and what a pathetic set of management."
I am not authorized to access the webconference. ASAP, would someone please provide a transcript of the relevant section?
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Gannett writes off up to $5.9 billion in assets as quarterly revenue misses, net income dives 36%
Gannett reported lower preliminary fourth-quarter earnings today, but even those profits will be wiped out once the company takes pretax writedowns of as much as $5.9 billion to reflect the declining value of its newspapers.
The nation's top newspaper publisher said preliminary net income fell to $158 million, or 69 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, down 36% from a year ago, as advertising revenue continues to take a beating because of the recession, the Associated Press said.
Operating revenue plunged 8.5%, to $1.74 billion, on a 23% drop in newspaper advertising sales. Wall Street media stock analysts had forecast $1.79 billion.
Shareholders weren't happy. Gannett's stock recently traded for $6.04, down 12%. Still, that's above GCI's 52-week low, $5.
Gannett's earnings statement is now here.
Earlier: Quarterly earnings statements, plus CEO quotes
Please post details -- including the earnings statement itself -- in the comments section, below. And don't be shy about flagging the most interesting stuff you find; that'll give me a running start. (Yes, it's crowdsourcing! We did this last quarter, too.)
Wall Street had forecast declines for the quarter:
The nation's top newspaper publisher said preliminary net income fell to $158 million, or 69 cents per share, in the fourth quarter, down 36% from a year ago, as advertising revenue continues to take a beating because of the recession, the Associated Press said.
Operating revenue plunged 8.5%, to $1.74 billion, on a 23% drop in newspaper advertising sales. Wall Street media stock analysts had forecast $1.79 billion.Shareholders weren't happy. Gannett's stock recently traded for $6.04, down 12%. Still, that's above GCI's 52-week low, $5.
Gannett's earnings statement is now here.
Earlier: Quarterly earnings statements, plus CEO quotes
Please post details -- including the earnings statement itself -- in the comments section, below. And don't be shy about flagging the most interesting stuff you find; that'll give me a running start. (Yes, it's crowdsourcing! We did this last quarter, too.)
Wall Street had forecast declines for the quarter:
- Revenue: $1.79 billion vs. $1.9 billion a year ago
- Earnings: 81 cents a share vs. $1.28 a year ago
Shares closed yesterday at $6.90, down 43 cents.
I'll probably monitor the 10 a.m. ET listen-only conference call, where top GCI executives will answer questions from media stock analysts. The call will be webcast, and is open to the public, although only analysts get to pose questions. (Webcast details.)
[Image: Google Finance]
I'll probably monitor the 10 a.m. ET listen-only conference call, where top GCI executives will answer questions from media stock analysts. The call will be webcast, and is open to the public, although only analysts get to pose questions. (Webcast details.)
[Image: Google Finance]
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday | Jan. 29 | Your News & Comments
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Then again, 'Homo Blog' is more Metromix-able!
Another post in my continuing seat-of-the-pants brand research.
One senior Gannett executive called it, Hopkins Blog, because he couldn't bring himself to use the real name. I've heard -- but never confirmed -- that some critics refer to it as, Homo Blog.
Now, I'd like your view. Imagine you told a co-worker that the company was about to announce mandatory furloughs -- something you learned on Gannett Blog, four days before the company told you.
Your co-worker asks, "Where did you hear that?''
You say, "_______________."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
One senior Gannett executive called it, Hopkins Blog, because he couldn't bring himself to use the real name. I've heard -- but never confirmed -- that some critics refer to it as, Homo Blog.
Now, I'd like your view. Imagine you told a co-worker that the company was about to announce mandatory furloughs -- something you learned on Gannett Blog, four days before the company told you.
Your co-worker asks, "Where did you hear that?''
You say, "_______________."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Why I depend on sponsors more than advertising
I just noticed another off-topic text ad (screenshot, left) served by Google's AdSense program, in the blue sidebar, right.
Fun, new feature: You reimburse my expenses!
A company document reveals a poignant chapter in American journalism history, offering an inside account of where newspapers go to die: the Louisville, Ky., customer call center I wrote about yesterday. A Gannett Blog reader faxed the document and a note to a mailing service here in San Francisco. I paid the $3.50 charge.Now, in a new crowdfunding experiment, I'm submitting my expense report for that post -- to all of you. Imagine: a message-in-a-bottle for future historians, explaining the newspaper industry's 21st century decline, and for just $3.50. What a stupendous bargain!
After all, I'm trying to earn $6,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green sidebar, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.
Early Internet: A 1981 TV report on 'telepapers'
Imagine sitting down at home with your morning coffee, then turning on your computer to read the day's newspaper. "It's not as far-fetched as it may seem,'' San Francisco TV station KRON reported in 1981.
"This is only the first step in newspapers by computer,'' correspondent Steve Newman told viewers. "Engineers now predict the day will come when we get all our newspapers and magazines by home computer. But that's a few years off."
There were 2,000 to 3,000 San Francisco area homes with computers at the time. The experimental network linked nine "telepapers'' to a database housed in Columbus, Ohio. Readers like way-early adopter Richard Halloran of San Francisco could access text, but no photographs, comics or -- significantly -- advertisements.
The participating papers were the two in San Francisco, the Examiner and the Chronicle, plus The New York Times, The Columbus Dispatch, The New York Times, The Virginian-Pilot, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Related: More video favorites on Gannett Blog's YouTube channel
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
"This is only the first step in newspapers by computer,'' correspondent Steve Newman told viewers. "Engineers now predict the day will come when we get all our newspapers and magazines by home computer. But that's a few years off."
There were 2,000 to 3,000 San Francisco area homes with computers at the time. The experimental network linked nine "telepapers'' to a database housed in Columbus, Ohio. Readers like way-early adopter Richard Halloran of San Francisco could access text, but no photographs, comics or -- significantly -- advertisements.
The participating papers were the two in San Francisco, the Examiner and the Chronicle, plus The New York Times, The Columbus Dispatch, The New York Times, The Virginian-Pilot, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Related: More video favorites on Gannett Blog's YouTube channel
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
What I'm doing right now
11:27 p.m., San Francisco time: Posting a photo of a crystal hippopotamus I gave to Danny a long time ago.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday | Jan. 28 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Exclusive: More intercepted e-mail to the CFO!
[Martore, Burns]
To: G. Martore, chief financial officer
FROM: C. Montgomery Burns, loyal employee
DATE: Jan. 28, 2009
RE: "Project 4:20" Surveillance Update
1. Don't worry about drug- and alcohol-related crowd control problems at upcoming Gannett Blog Millionth Visit Rave. We have learned Thurston and Lovey Howell put that innocent Kansas farm girl Mary Ann in charge of libations. (Still don't know why Mary Ann picked that mysterious "Project 4:20" code name for big event, though.)
2. We also have confirmed that Hopkins' blog has actually already passed the one-millionth visit mark, according to two of his three web analytics tracking services. Hopkins is waiting for this third report because he tries to be cautious with data.
I'm trying to earn $6,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green sidebar, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday | Jan. 27 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Smokin' traffic: Our one millionth visit draws closer
OMG! We're now fewer than 9,000 visits from hitting that already overhyped milestone in Gannett Blog's history. (I started publishing publicly with a scary post, Sept. 11, 2007.)
Free offer! Waste countless hours tracking the countdown via the Visits ticker box, bottom of the blue sidebar, on your right.
Selma Sez . . .
Once this milestone is reached, our General Counsel Selma Bouvier cautions: "Please celebrate with wild abandon, while also enjoying your alcoholic beverages and cigarettes of choice responsibly."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Free offer! Waste countless hours tracking the countdown via the Visits ticker box, bottom of the blue sidebar, on your right.
Selma Sez . . .Once this milestone is reached, our General Counsel Selma Bouvier cautions: "Please celebrate with wild abandon, while also enjoying your alcoholic beverages and cigarettes of choice responsibly."
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Pop quiz: What's inside the Cuomo documents?
That's what several readers have asked about the cache of records I obtained unexpectedly from the office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Answer: In yet another example of my shameless hyping -- err, valuable insight into how one obtains public documents, I'm asking readers to provide the answer -- via the following quiz.
At last, the documents reveal:
1. A long-suppressed academic white paper, Myths about Mulligans: How Golf Tournament Entry Fees Maximize Shareholder Value.
2. Something else.
After choosing the correct response (1), please return quietly (if not a little dazed) to your nearest local Information Center.
At last, the documents reveal:
1. A long-suppressed academic white paper, Myths about Mulligans: How Golf Tournament Entry Fees Maximize Shareholder Value.
2. Something else.
After choosing the correct response (1), please return quietly (if not a little dazed) to your nearest local Information Center.
This just in: Cuomo's office sends me documents!
In surprisingly quick fashion, they arrived via e-mail, after I sought them under New York state law in a Jan. 7 request to the Office of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (left). To be honest, I never expected so much as a computer-generated reply. I certainly didn't imagine my request would actually get filled, at no charge -- and all, in under three weeks. Thank you, General Cuomo![Photo: Office of the Attorney General]
Tip: Gannett's P.R. department taking over GNS
A tipster says ContentOne will become part of Corporate's Communications Department, headed by Vice President Tara Connell, as the newly launched web news and pagination system takes over Gannett News Service, under a plan disclosed yesterday. Such a move would shift under the public-relations function a significant amount of national news reporting firepower -- taking those resources from their historic editorial home, the News Department, now the domain of newly named Vice President Kate Marymont.
Under the reorganization, perhaps one-third of GNS jobs will be eliminated through buyouts and possible layoffs, I've been told. GNS staff learned of the changes during meetings yesterday; Corporate hasn't made an official announcement. Today's tip follows speculation since mid-November that Connell would be given a major ContentOne role.
Marymont announced some of the GNS changes in a memo to Gannett editors; I just obtained a copy. The memo doesn't say where ContentOne will sit in the company's hierarchy, however. "Please understand that ContentOne is being developed,'' she wrote. "Technology is being reviewed; structure is being debated. It will be developed over the months ahead and information will be shared throughout the process."
ContentOne 'next stage' in evolution
The memo continues: "These steps are part of Gannett’s ongoing transformation from a print-centric company to a full-service multimedia company. The next stage in that evolution is the creation of ContentOne, which will team new technology with journalists to deliver news and information where, when and how readers want it. It is cross-divisional, and is in the development stage. "
GNS has been effectively leaderless since its last full-time managing editor, Derek Osenenko quit in August 2007. Marymont's predecessor, Phil Currie, was only nominally in charge until his retirement last month, leaving GNS vulnerable to takeover.
The service now employs about 60 reporters, editors and other employees covering Congress and other national news for the company's 85 U.S. newspapers. The company launched GNS in 1943 as Gannett National Service. It won journalism's most coveted honor, the Pulitzer Prize for public service, in 1980.
Can anyone confirm -- and add details? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Under the reorganization, perhaps one-third of GNS jobs will be eliminated through buyouts and possible layoffs, I've been told. GNS staff learned of the changes during meetings yesterday; Corporate hasn't made an official announcement. Today's tip follows speculation since mid-November that Connell would be given a major ContentOne role.Marymont announced some of the GNS changes in a memo to Gannett editors; I just obtained a copy. The memo doesn't say where ContentOne will sit in the company's hierarchy, however. "Please understand that ContentOne is being developed,'' she wrote. "Technology is being reviewed; structure is being debated. It will be developed over the months ahead and information will be shared throughout the process."
ContentOne 'next stage' in evolution
The memo continues: "These steps are part of Gannett’s ongoing transformation from a print-centric company to a full-service multimedia company. The next stage in that evolution is the creation of ContentOne, which will team new technology with journalists to deliver news and information where, when and how readers want it. It is cross-divisional, and is in the development stage. "
GNS has been effectively leaderless since its last full-time managing editor, Derek Osenenko quit in August 2007. Marymont's predecessor, Phil Currie, was only nominally in charge until his retirement last month, leaving GNS vulnerable to takeover.
The service now employs about 60 reporters, editors and other employees covering Congress and other national news for the company's 85 U.S. newspapers. The company launched GNS in 1943 as Gannett National Service. It won journalism's most coveted honor, the Pulitzer Prize for public service, in 1980.
Can anyone confirm -- and add details? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Text of Marymont memo on GNS changes
Following is the text of a memo News Department Vice President Kate Marymont (left) distributed yesterday, on a reorganization of Gannett News Service.Jan 26, 2009
To: Gannett publishers, editors
From: Kate Marymont
This week we begin a series of changes at Gannett News Service. These steps are part of Gannett’s ongoing transformation from a print-centric company to a full-service multimedia company.
The next stage in that evolution is the creation of ContentOne, which will team new technology with journalists to deliver news and information where, when and how readers want it. It is cross-divisional, and is in the development stage.
This requires substantial restructuring.
Some of Gannett News Service’s functions will move to the new ContentOne. These decisions were based on a survey of your needs.
The corps of regional reporters in the D.C. bureau will continue.
Surveys showed that you rely on some custom content, such as the World/Nation page and the “Yes” section. Those also will be maintained.
The most significant change will be in a streamlined content-sharing operation. Advances in technology will allow faster, broader sharing of information across the company. That will require different jobs going forward.
As the first step toward the new structure, we are offering a voluntary severance program for all GNS employees. Details are being shared with GNS employees today.
If this offer does not result in a sufficient number of volunteers, involuntary reductions will be necessary.
You will see changes in your contacts with GNS, the kind of content that is shared, and the news budgets that are produced. I will keep you informed as this unfolds over the next few weeks. Details will have to be worked out as we go through the voluntary severance and, perhaps, involuntary severance.
Your budget for GNS will stay the same for the time being.
Please understand that ContentOne is being developed. Technology is being reviewed; structure is being debated. It will be developed over the months ahead and information will be shared throughout the process.
Gannett News Service has a long tradition of service to your newspapers and Web sites. Our goal is to retain that while we contemporize the sharing of content across the company.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Calling Dr. Phil: Help me discover my inner blog
I'm using the familiar word-association quiz to do some brand-identity research. Here are the questions:What word or words come to mind when I say, Gannett Blog? How about, Jim Hopkins?
Remember, please: just a word or two. Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Photo: Dr. Phil]
Why my future is now in the palm of your hand
I try to keep my posts to six paragraphs or less for one reason: That's the most I can read in under three iPhone screens. (I assume the same's true for BlackBerries and other "smart'' handhelds with big, web-enabled screens.)
Most of you read Gannett Blog on full-size computers. But looking at all the mobile device trends, it's clear my future as a journalist lies in the palms of readers' hands. I ask myself: How would you present groundbreaking, multi-part, investigative projects in a palm-sized space? Maybe I'd use Twitter to broadcast a provocative teaser, complete with embedded link to the best landing page.
Twitter underscores the shift toward the consumer's palm -- and the growing value of mobile homepages. Yesterday, I played with the free text-message service so much, I decided to add a Twitter shortcut to my iPhone's touch-sensitive desktop (left). I can create up to 16 of these quick links to favorite webpages on the desktop's homepage. If I want more, they go on additional "inside'' screens. (The bottom row of icons doesn't change.)
Tapping any of these on the iPhone's touch-sensitive screen launches a web browser that takes you straight to that page. (My most frequently tapped shortcut takes me to the Blogger software desktop, where I moderate comments remotely. Hoo-boy, that's fun.)
Everyone is fighting for proximity to your mobile homepage. Adding Twitter yesterday forced me to kick an existing shortcut inside -- and off my iPhone's most valuable real estate. That was when I thought: The new digital royalty will be those that land in the most palms.
Attention mobile readers: How can I improve Gannett Blog for you? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Most of you read Gannett Blog on full-size computers. But looking at all the mobile device trends, it's clear my future as a journalist lies in the palms of readers' hands. I ask myself: How would you present groundbreaking, multi-part, investigative projects in a palm-sized space? Maybe I'd use Twitter to broadcast a provocative teaser, complete with embedded link to the best landing page.
Twitter underscores the shift toward the consumer's palm -- and the growing value of mobile homepages. Yesterday, I played with the free text-message service so much, I decided to add a Twitter shortcut to my iPhone's touch-sensitive desktop (left). I can create up to 16 of these quick links to favorite webpages on the desktop's homepage. If I want more, they go on additional "inside'' screens. (The bottom row of icons doesn't change.)Tapping any of these on the iPhone's touch-sensitive screen launches a web browser that takes you straight to that page. (My most frequently tapped shortcut takes me to the Blogger software desktop, where I moderate comments remotely. Hoo-boy, that's fun.)
Everyone is fighting for proximity to your mobile homepage. Adding Twitter yesterday forced me to kick an existing shortcut inside -- and off my iPhone's most valuable real estate. That was when I thought: The new digital royalty will be those that land in the most palms.
Attention mobile readers: How can I improve Gannett Blog for you? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
What I'm doing right now
9:38 p.m., San Francisco time: Posting a photo I took of one of my favorite San Francisco merchants, Bi-Rite Market. It's got a distinctive exterior neon sign.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday | Jan. 26 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
Tipsters: Gannett News Service job cuts out today
This just in from one of several readers: "You probably know Gannett News Service is hearing about layoffs right now. Could be no more GNS after this, from what I hear. The meeting was set for 1 p.m. ET."These tips follow speculation that the 65-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning news service will be merged into the recently launched ContentOne web news and pagination system.
iPhone Update at 3:15 p.m. ET: Details about this still-unfolding GNS drama are now leaking out in a fascinating way. Also, I've been live-blogging some GNS developments on Twitter; it's much faster.
From the company's history: "Gannett News Service, founded in 1943 as the Gannett National Service, continues to provide Gannett newspapers with national enterprise and stories with a local angle from its Washington office and bureaus across the nation."
Can anyone else confirm today's GNS developments -- and add detail? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Dept. of Etiquette: Thank you cards, in the mail
I'm finally mailing belated acknowledgements for your sponsorship gifts, now that I've got official Gannett Blog postcards.I'm trying to earn $6,000 quarterly, mostly through sponsorships of $5 per reader, plus limited ad sales. Please use the "Donate" tool in the green sidebar, upper right. Or mail cash/checks payable to: Jim Hopkins, 584 Castro St. #823, San Francisco, Calif., 94114-2594.
Google, 'Gannett' -- then tell me what you get
Gannett Blog was the No. 3 search result today, when I used Google to hunt the Web for references to Gannett, following a tip from a reader. (No. 1 was Gannett Co. Inc., followed by the company's jobs page.)Now, it's your turn: Where does our blog rank when you do the same search?
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. E-mail via gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com].
Publishers' columns that veer toward hyperbole
Under the headline, "Don't believe what you hear about demise of newspapers,'' Publisher Roy Heatherly of The Jackson Sun in Tennessee wrote yesterday: "More importantly, our commitment to the First Amendment and the watchdog role we play in this community is stronger than ever."
Commentz Korner: A commentary on comments
A reader asked why so many comments come from newsroom employees. Here's the answer.
Comment volume fluctuates a lot, mostly following the news cycle. Lately, I've been seeing an average 150 daily, on weekdays. That's a lot -- but not against an average 3,500-4,000 unique visitors daily, viewing nearly 12,000 pages.
Importantly, this means fewer than 4% of a typical day's readers post comments -- making those who do post, a select and occasionally influential bunch.
Certainly, readers from all across Gannett post comments. But it's true: Newsroom folks dominate, and for a simple reason. Commenting -- reporting and writing -- is what they do for a living. It's an area where they're comfortable. Plus, I think many newsroom employees may identify with me because I spent my 20 years in the company working in editorial. Still make no mistake about it: This blog is for everyone.
Comment factoids
Comment volume fluctuates a lot, mostly following the news cycle. Lately, I've been seeing an average 150 daily, on weekdays. That's a lot -- but not against an average 3,500-4,000 unique visitors daily, viewing nearly 12,000 pages.Importantly, this means fewer than 4% of a typical day's readers post comments -- making those who do post, a select and occasionally influential bunch.
Certainly, readers from all across Gannett post comments. But it's true: Newsroom folks dominate, and for a simple reason. Commenting -- reporting and writing -- is what they do for a living. It's an area where they're comfortable. Plus, I think many newsroom employees may identify with me because I spent my 20 years in the company working in editorial. Still make no mistake about it: This blog is for everyone.
Comment factoids
- Most comments posted in a single day: about 1,100 (Dec. 3, when layoffs were being announced).
- Total comments posted so far: More than 13,000 (since I started publishing this blog, Sept. 11, 2007).
Monday Recap: You're now in a Dickey-free zone!
Posts you might have missed last week, while B** *****y played the Bob Hope Classic -- and right after announcing those furloughs, too!
In Lafayette, La., that sucking sound is The Daily Advertiser's dwindling profits, getting whisked to McLean, Va., The Independent Weekly says: "For centuries, locally owned papers had a different mission, but now the Advertiser's readers are being told they must pay for Gannett's mistakes." Next, it's a nagging feeling we know too well: Why we linger in the parking lot before going in. Finally, in a virtual time capsule, we collect artifacts for future researchers, tracing Gannett's 21st-century decline.
In Lafayette, La., that sucking sound is The Daily Advertiser's dwindling profits, getting whisked to McLean, Va., The Independent Weekly says: "For centuries, locally owned papers had a different mission, but now the Advertiser's readers are being told they must pay for Gannett's mistakes." Next, it's a nagging feeling we know too well: Why we linger in the parking lot before going in. Finally, in a virtual time capsule, we collect artifacts for future researchers, tracing Gannett's 21st-century decline.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday | Jan. 25 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
How furloughs add more unpaid overtime hours
Many employees are being pressed to effectively cover for themselves during the furloughs this quarter, by doing their "furlough days work" in advance -- on overtime Gannett generally won't be paying. After I wrote that earlier today, Anonymous@1:31 p.m. wrote: "Your evidence for this is what, exactly?"
I get there through process of elimination:
1. The goal is to reduce payroll expenses. It wouldn't make sense to shift work that can be done at straight-time rates, into over-time, where it would only cost more. Therefore: no extra OT to cover for co-workers on furlough.
2. CEO Craig Dubow says in his furlough memo: "We are doing this to preserve our operations and continue to deliver for our customers.'' (Emphasis added.) Those words assure Wall Street there won't be a commensurate reduction in goods or services, since that would only pinch revenue more. Therefore: no cut in workloads.
3. Corporate, in its furlough FAQ, gave itself at least two chances to say definitively that production quotas had been cut for the quarter. But it failed to do so:
Q. Won't this compromise our ability to do our jobs, produce our products and satisfy our customers?
A. We think doing another round of layoffs at this time would impact our operations more. Furloughs, while a scheduling challenge, provide more flexibility for our businesses and provide more value for our customers.
Q. Who will cover my job while I am out?
A. You and your supervisor should discuss how your responsibilities will be handled while you are out. If you have a company e-mail address and/or phone extension, you should leave a message directing people to the employee designated to reply in your absence.
'We can't have OT during these furlough periods'
No extra overtime spending -- but no work reduction, either. I ask you, how else can this be done -- without employees doing more work Gannett won't be paying for? (Auto-rejected replies include: "We'll just work smarter." "Now, we'll really focus on what customers want.")
Let's get real. Exempt supervisors are going to take on even more work, to cover for their furloughed troops. Meanwhile, lots of hourly workers will just suck up the extra work, mark down the incorrect time (37.5 hours!) at the end of the week, curse -- and move on.
"I've already been asked to get several things done in anticipation of my first furlough day coming up this week,'' writes Anonymous@3 p.m. "When I told my boss that all that extra work would probably put me around OT, I was told 'Well, just manage your hours to make sure you don't have OT. We can't have OT during these furlough periods.'"
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Image: today's Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wisc., Newseum. The paper is one of Gannett's 85 dailies in the U.S., and 17 in the U.K.]
I get there through process of elimination:1. The goal is to reduce payroll expenses. It wouldn't make sense to shift work that can be done at straight-time rates, into over-time, where it would only cost more. Therefore: no extra OT to cover for co-workers on furlough.
2. CEO Craig Dubow says in his furlough memo: "We are doing this to preserve our operations and continue to deliver for our customers.'' (Emphasis added.) Those words assure Wall Street there won't be a commensurate reduction in goods or services, since that would only pinch revenue more. Therefore: no cut in workloads.
3. Corporate, in its furlough FAQ, gave itself at least two chances to say definitively that production quotas had been cut for the quarter. But it failed to do so:
Q. Won't this compromise our ability to do our jobs, produce our products and satisfy our customers?
A. We think doing another round of layoffs at this time would impact our operations more. Furloughs, while a scheduling challenge, provide more flexibility for our businesses and provide more value for our customers.
Q. Who will cover my job while I am out?
A. You and your supervisor should discuss how your responsibilities will be handled while you are out. If you have a company e-mail address and/or phone extension, you should leave a message directing people to the employee designated to reply in your absence.
'We can't have OT during these furlough periods'
No extra overtime spending -- but no work reduction, either. I ask you, how else can this be done -- without employees doing more work Gannett won't be paying for? (Auto-rejected replies include: "We'll just work smarter." "Now, we'll really focus on what customers want.")
Let's get real. Exempt supervisors are going to take on even more work, to cover for their furloughed troops. Meanwhile, lots of hourly workers will just suck up the extra work, mark down the incorrect time (37.5 hours!) at the end of the week, curse -- and move on.
"I've already been asked to get several things done in anticipation of my first furlough day coming up this week,'' writes Anonymous@3 p.m. "When I told my boss that all that extra work would probably put me around OT, I was told 'Well, just manage your hours to make sure you don't have OT. We can't have OT during these furlough periods.'"
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Image: today's Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wisc., Newseum. The paper is one of Gannett's 85 dailies in the U.S., and 17 in the U.K.]
Comments we think are probably sarcastic
"Keep it up, Hopkins. Keep being the Pied Piper, and leading these suckers down the ruined cobblestone streets of their careers.
Gannett Blog is really no better than some
good old-fashioned yellow journalism."
-- Anonymous@7:20 p.m. yesterday, on bad publicity that ricocheted off Bob Dickey's appearance in the Bob Hope golf tournament, wrapping up today in the winter resort of Palm Springs, Calif.
Speed up the line! Newsrooms do 'furlough stories'
I've heard of at least two newsrooms already cranking out advance "evergreen" furlough features, to fill papers when thousands of employees take mandatory unpaid time off through March.I wonder if the company has deployed the same hurry-up tactic in other departments in the newspapers division, like advertising and production? Plus, what about broadcasting and other Gannett units that employ a combined 35,000 U.S. workers subject to furlough? Are employees across the company doing work in advance that otherwise would never get done?
That would indicate one way management is working around a self-imposed edict that no one sets foot on company property during their time off: Employees will be pushed to do the work in advance -- and on overtime that in many cases will never get paid.
In other words, with the board's blessing, Corporate plans to make its current-quarter profit by reaching into the back pockets of mostly rank-and-file workers, many of whom can ill-afford the hit.
But enough about wage-and-hour law; time to speed up the line:
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Photo: 1913 Ford Motor assembly line, Grosse Pointe Public Schools]
Dollars and sense: Why send such tiny bills?
I've heard from several former employees, asking why Gannett bothers to bill them for tiny amounts owed -- in this case, a final 50-cent balance due on a medical coverage account. Don't processing, postage and other handling costs wipe away any money recovered?Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday | Jan. 24 | Your News & Comments
Can't find the right spot for your comment? Post it here, in this open forum. Real Time Comments: parked here, 24/7. (Earlier editions.)
What I'm doing right now
1:52 p.m., San Francisco time: Teaching myself to use the free text-message broadcast service, Twitter, as an adjunct to Gannett Blog. Please follow me there.
Reader: Directors would 'applaud' golf 'opportunity'
Regarding the negative publicity generated by the Bob Dickey golf tournament incident, Anonymous@10:09 a.m. comments:
Do you actually think the board of directors would have a negative thought about this? Several of them have played in this, the AT&T or other PGA or LPGA pro-am events. If anything, they would applaud this as a wonderful business opportunity.
Do you actually think the board of directors would have a negative thought about this? Several of them have played in this, the AT&T or other PGA or LPGA pro-am events. If anything, they would applaud this as a wonderful business opportunity.
Snake tales: Photos, words publishers won't allow
Arkansas Gazette Publisher J.N. Heiskell banned the publishing of news photos of snakes -- a quirk about reptiles, we've just learned, that he shared with Eugene C. Pulliam, the late Arizona media mogul who owned The Arizona Republic and The Indianapolis Star.
The Pulliam family sold his Central Newspapers to Gannett in 2000 for $2.6 billion cash. This week, I've been catching up on a recent ruckus at the Star, over a Page One prayer some viewed as anti-semitic. The story comes via Indiana blogger and former Star journalist Ruth Holladay, in this excerpt:
"I've always been fascinated by the Star's bygone days, and the charge of anti-Semitism hit a nerve,'' Holladay writes in a recent post. "When I first started working there, part-time on the copy desk, I wrote a headline that had the word 'Jew' in it, as in 'Jews celebrate Passover.' The slot man, the late Dutch Eggert, threw it back at me.
"You have to rewrite it," he said. "Mr. Pulliam doesn't like the word 'Jew' in a headline."
Huh? Dutch amplified: "He doesn't like the word 'snake' either. No snakes and no Jews."
In Little Rock, no 'stories'
Charles Portis, author of the 1968 best-seller True Grit, recalled Heiskell's quirks, in a 2001 interview with University of Arkansas oral historians. (Gannett closed the Gazette in 1991, five years after buying the daily from Heiskell's descendants.)
"We couldn't use the word 'story,'" Portis said. "It smacked of fiction. Mr. Heiskell said the proper word for a news account was 'article.' And we couldn't use 'evacuate' as of a building or a city being evacuated. He thought it might remind readers of a bodily function. I don't know what softer word we used. There can't be many synonyms for 'evacuate.' And no photographs of snakes or other vermin, with those same sensitive readers in mind. And we spelled 'Tokyo' with an 'i' instead of a 'y.' But I sort of liked those quirks."
What words and photos does your publisher or TV station GM ban? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Image: yesterday's front page, Newseum]
The Pulliam family sold his Central Newspapers to Gannett in 2000 for $2.6 billion cash. This week, I've been catching up on a recent ruckus at the Star, over a Page One prayer some viewed as anti-semitic. The story comes via Indiana blogger and former Star journalist Ruth Holladay, in this excerpt:"I've always been fascinated by the Star's bygone days, and the charge of anti-Semitism hit a nerve,'' Holladay writes in a recent post. "When I first started working there, part-time on the copy desk, I wrote a headline that had the word 'Jew' in it, as in 'Jews celebrate Passover.' The slot man, the late Dutch Eggert, threw it back at me.
"You have to rewrite it," he said. "Mr. Pulliam doesn't like the word 'Jew' in a headline."
Huh? Dutch amplified: "He doesn't like the word 'snake' either. No snakes and no Jews."
In Little Rock, no 'stories'
Charles Portis, author of the 1968 best-seller True Grit, recalled Heiskell's quirks, in a 2001 interview with University of Arkansas oral historians. (Gannett closed the Gazette in 1991, five years after buying the daily from Heiskell's descendants.)
"We couldn't use the word 'story,'" Portis said. "It smacked of fiction. Mr. Heiskell said the proper word for a news account was 'article.' And we couldn't use 'evacuate' as of a building or a city being evacuated. He thought it might remind readers of a bodily function. I don't know what softer word we used. There can't be many synonyms for 'evacuate.' And no photographs of snakes or other vermin, with those same sensitive readers in mind. And we spelled 'Tokyo' with an 'i' instead of a 'y.' But I sort of liked those quirks."What words and photos does your publisher or TV station GM ban? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
[Image: yesterday's front page, Newseum]
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