additions (2) advice (2) advocacy (1) american (2) anything (1) balance (2) bloggers (1) blogs (1) caregiving (2) challenges (2) cook (2) count (1) diet (1) eat (2) engaging (2) essential (1) family-fitness (1) family (4) fitness (3) health (4) healthy (2) information (2) integrate (1) joined (1) knives (1) latest (1) launch (1) life (6) making (1) month (1) motivated (1) news (1) nutrition (2) offer (2) pans (1) parenting (2) really (1) recipe (1) resources (2) season (2) signature (1) specials (1) stay (1) talk (1) thousands (1) walk (1) weight-loss (1) welcome (3) whirlwind (1) work-life (1)
created at TagCrowd.com
Earlier: In a crowded market, where's Your Life?
What's the point of this exercise? Look closely, and you'll see that the word "news" appears only once.
ReplyDeleteIf they wanted news in this new vertical, they would have picked someone with a news background. Instead they picked Denise Brodey, a former editor of Fitness magazine.
ReplyDeleteIn her Linked-In profile, she describes herself:
"Brodey spent nearly two years as a health and wellness brand consultant and media trends blogger before joining USA TODAY full-time as Audience Development and Sales Strategist this August. In October, 2010, Brodey took on the role of General Manager, Your Life, at USA TODAY. She has worked with Glaxo, NBCU, Meredith Integrated Marketing, Just Ask A Woman, The Biggest Loser, ToughLOVE,and Sun-Maid Products to strategize creative ways to connect with women."
Not much news there, is there?
Just one more person trying to tell journalists what people want to read. Wonder if they'll ever figure out that people want news that matters to them. Enough for the gimmicks.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that Brodey, as general manager, is akin to a deputy publisher, right? So, is she also executive editor of Your Life, or is that position held by someone else?
ReplyDeleteI'm asking because the same model is being developed for sports, and maybe travel, too.
The publisher is someone who comes to the office irregularly, drinks scotch, and is affable. Brodey is hands on.
ReplyDeleteAs you notice lots of health-related stories in Your Life -- especially about prescription medicines -- guess which USAT category of advertising has been among those falling the most in percentage terms so far this year?
ReplyDeleteWhat you don't understand is that there is a huge unmet demand out there in this vast country for a good story on pilates. I love doing roll ups and roll downs, but teaser is easily my all-time favorite. Think of the health clubs that would love to have their ads next to a pilate story. Look at this market of power drinks and herbals that would finally have a place in the newspaper. Our definition of news is changing, so let us have our pilate story.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if USA Today is relaxing its policy on withholding the identity of sources?
ReplyDeleteIn a new online story this morning on Your Life, the paper's just-launched health and lifestyle website, a freelancer writes about caregiving to an elderly woman. At the end of the third paragraph, I was surprised to encounter the following about the individuals featured in the article: "(Names and identities have been changed.)"
I wonder who signed off on that? Beginning after the Jack Kelley scandal, USAT had really tightened up its rules on unidentified sources; at one time, any such story required approval of a managing editor.
The story is getting prominent "play" right now; it's got a link on the paper's homepage as USAT promotes the new section heavily.
Hey, Jim is right. Is this a change in policy? Is USAT now allowing fictional names in stories? This was really frowned upon. It was made clear to all of us that we could do this only in extreme cases.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the staff of this new Life vertical? They have so far used an AP story and now a free-lancer.
ReplyDeleteCurious about that online story written by the freelancer with the "names and identities changed." Why would an editor grant this confidentiality for this story, which is not embarrassing in any way. It wasn't really a great story that would justify bending the rules. The reporter could have found someone who would agree to allow the use of her name for a similar story.
ReplyDeleteI think what is happening is that a new generation has come to USA Today who don't remember the pain Jack Kelley caused and the reason policies all but banning anonymous quotes were imposed. These are sound rules and I think they benefit readers. We certainly do not need to see another Jack Kelley.
The company can't tell a freelancer what to do, including whern and how to do it. All the company can do is either buy the story or not buy it. I'm shocked that USAT bought this one. Really shocked.
ReplyDeleteThere's another curious element to this USAT story, which broadly covers the challenges in caring for elderly people living alone at home.
ReplyDeleteThe byline says, "Steve Slon, Special for USA Today."
Now, I'll bet fewer than 1% of USAT's readers know that "special" means he's a freelancer writer, and not someone on the paper's staff. Skip down toward the bottom of the story and you'll find a bio box that says: "Steve Slon's Caregiving column runs the first Friday of the month at yourlife.usatoday.com. Slon blogs regularly about aging and caregiving for BeClose.com. He is the former editor of AARP The Magazine. See his blog at beclose.com/slon or write to him at steveslon@beclose.com."
At first glance, I assumed BeClose.com was either his personal website, where he archived stories he's written, or another independent publisher of news about aging and caregiving.
So, I was startled when I clicked on the BeClose.com link, and found myself on the website of a company by that name. Indeed, BeClose is smack in the middle of the eldercare industry; it sells a $79-a-month home monitoring system allowing family members to keep an eye on elderly relatives who live alone. The required hardware costs $299 to $399. (Think of the famous, "I fell down and can't get up" gadget, only on steroids.)
To be sure, Slon's story today doesn't mention BeClose. It doesn't even discuss the use of remote monitoring equipment.
Nonetheless, in the interest of full transparency, I would put a note at the bottom of his columns, laying out in greater detail his relationship with a company that sells in the eldercare market.
As to whether USAT should even publish stories by writers who simultaneously freelance for companies with a financial stake in the subject -- well, that's a topic for another time.
Tacky tacky tacky.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I have never seen anything like this in all my years at USAT. We're selling out to advertisers and running advertorials as news stories. Wow.
ReplyDeleteUSAT's practices in the last few years are beginning to harm its reputation in j-schools. I know this because I am a senior in a fairly prestigious one. Two years ago USAT was high on my list of places to work if I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity. After reading this blog, talking to my profs and seeing how the paper has declined, well, USAT isn't even in my top 50 anymore. In fact, most of my classmates have zero interest in working for any Gannett paper. That may not send chills through the company, but I can't imagine it won't eventually dilute the talent at Gannett publications.
ReplyDeleteAs a young person interested in digital endeavors, I still want to work for a brand that respects good reporting and editing, regardless of how the news is delivered. I also want to work for a company that doesn't discard older journalists who I know I could still learn a lot from. Most of my profs are over 40 and have been wonderful instructors and mentors.
I want to work in a progressive newsroom, but not one that is sloppy or that places greater importance on digital "tricks" than fundamentals. Solid ethics are also high on my wish list.
My dad worked at a Gannett newspaper and was essentially pushed out in his late 50s. This was before the recession. He claimed he was forced out because of his age. I didn't know what to make of his claim at the time. He didn't seem that old to me. But after watching what has transpired at USAT and Gannett, I can only conclude that this is a cold company with no appreciation for anything other than the bottom line. I am too young and maybe too idealistic to want to be a part of something that is so wrong. Rather, I am going to look at niche publications and companies that seem to appreciate diversity and fairness. From the outside looking in, that is not USAT.
Unbelievable. That Slon story violates two major journalism tenets, at least two major USAT tenets. I remember the Jack Kelley fiasco. Sometimes it is hard to find people who will let us use their real names, but we keep looking for them. And to not disclose a writer's a conflict of interest, let alone accept a freelance story by someone with a conflict of interest? Staff members have to sign an ethics policy. Why stories written by freelancers should be able to disregard the rules staff members have to play by is beyond me. BTW,7:39, freelance stories can and should be edited the same way staff-produced stories are edited.
ReplyDeleteDid this story go through the regular process? The policy on anonymous attribution is so deeply entrenched in the culture at USAT, I cannot believe someone would not have flagged this one. Did Hillkirk ok it? The way I read this story, it is almost gratuitous to disguise the woman's name for the sort of information she is providing. Also, this is not a USAT staffer with a proven track record.
ReplyDelete12:01 I wish you well in a profession that is being turned on its heels, shaken up disrobed and then redressed. USAT and Gannett are not alone in having the debates and problems you see fought out here daily on this blog, but other organizations don't have a blog as decent and successful as this one to tell you what is happening. Other newspapers are facing exactly the same economic troubles, and are making changes affecting their ethics policies and traditions. These go largely unreported because newspapers rely on public trust to do their jobs, and do not like seeing their dirty linen aired in public.
ReplyDeleteIt's really not that difficult to get people to let you use their real names. One argument I have been able to use to persuade them has been that "my newspaper has a policy of not allowing reporters to use fictional names."
ReplyDelete12:01 you make sure you get back to us when you find that first newsroom job. Can't wait to see your point of view when you are receiving a pay check. Just out of curiosity what are your top three papers?
ReplyDeleteCan someone post the freelance agreement on here so we can have a proper debate about this? I think this is a big deal.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are running the Life vertical essentially operate with complete autonomy. They may sit in the Life section, but they basically are running their own show. Silly that they don't even understand the ethical lapses they are committing on stories like the one mentioned above. Then again, the business side of the paper is encroaching more and more on editorial content. They probably have a side deal cut with the freelancer's company. Its a brave new world. If advertising kicks in - which it really has not under Heather "my way or the highway Frank, you can kiss ethics, standards and quality journalism out the window. She's building an empire across all the sections, and God help anyone who crosses her. I give her a year, when her lite content approach based on sub-standard freelance content fails to attract enough advertisers to keep her fat salary on the books.
ReplyDelete12:01 We are far from alone in this. The New York Times is now being financed in part by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. Google Slim's name and you will find a lot of stories involving on narco-trafficking. Also the Washington Post is being propped up by Kaplan University, a for-profit institution currently under investigation for misleading students into amassing student loan debts for worthless degrees. The Post acknowledges it would be in deep financial problems were it not for Kaplan.
ReplyDelete12:29. There's a big difference between an outside investor like Carlos Slim "propping up" a company, or a corporate subsidiary such as Kaplan bolstering the parent's bottom line. Gannett is flailing because it doesn't have a deep-pocketed believer in its corner, because management can't talk its way out of a paper bag to Wall Street, and because it has no subsidiary that's a cash cow. It all comes down to leadership, at the corporate level, and who is in charge at divisions like the Community Papers and USA Today. And no responsible corporate directors asking questions or seeking change. Can you see any of the current managers at the top levels of the company, outside of Chief Bean Counter Gracia Martore, employed at the same levels elsewhere? Seriously.
ReplyDeleteTo be clear: I'm not trying to beat up on Slon; I assume he wrote this story according to a standard he believed was in place at USAT. That standard was affirmed when his story was published.
ReplyDeleteMy questions deal with:
1. Sourcing, and whether USAT has changed its policy regarding anonymous sources.
2. USAT's conflict of interest policy, and related public disclosures.
These questions follow USAT's decision to more closely align the paper's business and editorial interests, via the creation of a vice president for business development (Rudd Davis), and the post of general manager over the Your Life and Sports verticals.
No one has answered a question I posed earlier: Who are the editors over Your Life? Do they report to the paper's top editor, John Hillkirk? Or to the general manager, Brodey? And who do Brodey and the chief over verticals, Heather Frank, report to?
Lots of people across Gannett have a stake in this, if more newspapers are going to adopt these heavily commerce-driven initiatives.
Was this in the print edition? I didn't find it, myself. So is this a new policy on anonymous stories being applied only to Web publications?
ReplyDeleteOK, the Slon story situation just gets worse. Much worse. What the Your Life site apparently offers as fresh content appeared on Slon's "Be Close" blog on AUGUST 16. It seems to have made it to the My Life site with little or no editing.
ReplyDeleteOh my. That is bad.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see the freelance contract to see what it says about ethics and all.
Would it have made a difference, ya think, had USAT just reprinted, with permission, something from that blog that had the original story?
Yes, lookie:
ReplyDeletehttp://beclosegroups.com/blog/?p=255#more-255
It is a retread plucked from his blog.
Same story also appears in the Florida Sun-Sentinel in September, distributed by Hearst:
ReplyDeletehttp://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-09-10/health/sfl-doctor-diagnosis-082710_1_helen-eye-doctor-intraocular-pressure
What the hell is going on with this Slon piece. It can't have been handled by a regular editor, or the fact that it was being republished from something Hearst put out in September would raise copyright issues. Who posted it, and how was it posted? Also why was it posted?
ReplyDeleteThis is not only an outrage, but a very dangerous move that could pose costly to Gannett if plagiarism and copyright issues with Hearst are involved.
A correction and retraction is going to be needed, I would think.
Good catch, 6:46 p.m.
ReplyDeleteSo, wonder if the ficticious Helen lives in Baltimore like it says in one of the stories or Philly like the other one says? Holy shit. This is unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteSo this is an example of what we are to expect from the newly transformed USA TODAY? What a freakin' disaster.
ReplyDelete