Poynter Online

WP bureau closings "perhaps a financial necessity, but still a shame"

Columbia Journalism Review

Ex-Washington Post New York bureau chief Michael Powell scoffs at WP's new "for and about Washington" focus. "The paper was intelligently evolving alongside its readership. Now they pretend that readers just want Washington news?" He accuses Post bosses of adopting a "thoroughly antiquated view of Washington" which assumes everyone there is connected to the federal government.

What Great Bosses Know About the 5 Mistakes New Managers Make

By Jill Geisler

Buyouts and layoffs have altered the management ranks of many newsrooms (as well as other businesses in this country). Veteran managers depart; fresh faces are tapped for leadership roles. New managers are stepping up at the most challenging of times, when resources are tight and change seems constant. Bosses must be at their best.

That said, old and new managers have one thing in common: very few had training for management. They were promoted because of their good performance in their craft, and perhaps for some demonstrated ability or interest in helping others. In these days of shrinking staffs, some folks who don't even aspire to management are being drafted to help fill holes.

Lacking training, new managers just plunge into the job. They often lack confidence. They always learn by trial and error. To help build confidence and minimize errors, let's identify some common traps that await the newly-promoted.

Here are five new manager mistakes:

1. Doing your old job. It's hard to give up what you're good at, especially in times of short-staffing. Keeping your hand in the daily work is comforting to you and helpful in the short-term approach to the team's workload. But it can keep you from teaching others how to do the work and from learning and practicing other aspects of management -- from strategy to scheduling to coaching -- that are vital.

2. Fearing "I don't know." Don't bluff. It reduces your credibility. If you don't have the answer to a question, acknowledge it, promise you'll find the information or answer and then follow up. People don't expect you to be an expert on all aspects of the operation when you're new. They'll cut you slack if you're honest and committed to learning and helping them.

3. Avoiding experienced employees. New managers often assume veteran employees resent or resist bosses with less work or life experience than their own. It's better to assume thatexperienced staffers want to know what everyone else does: What are going to do for me -- or to me? Employees of all experience levels hope their managers will be good advocates for their work and agents of their success. 

4. Mismanaging old friends. Your relationship with former colleagues changes when your first loyalty is now to the whole team, not just those with whom you shared a social life. But that doesn't mean you can't be friendly. You just need to be forthright about boundaries. As a boss, you can't unfairly favor old friends, or appear to. You can't traffic in the great gossip or diss the idiots in management as before. You're sometimes the bearer of bad tidings, from criticism to crummy work shifts or worse. If folks were true friends and you lead with integrity, they'll understand and adapt to the new relationship.

5. Mismanaging your boss. Know your boss well enough to have a solid fix on the span of your authority and autonomy. Understand your supervisor's values, goals, pressures and preferences when it comes to communication and decision-making. Your boss may not be perfect, but it's your job to make the relationship work, and in so doing, increase your effectiveness for your team.

New managers, and even not-so-new ones also struggle with "imposter syndrome." If you often find yourself thinking, "This is the day they find out I don't really deserve this job," then let me offer you some advice in today's podcast: "What Great Bosses Know about New Manager Mistakes."

What Great Bosses Know about New Manager Mistakes

What Great Bosses Know

Poynter's "What Great Bosses Know" podcast is sponsored by The City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Poynter's leadership and management expert Jill Geisler shares practical information that's valuable for bosses in newsrooms and everywhere. You can subscribe to this podcast via RSSor to any of our podcasts on iTunes U. 

WH reporters question addition of Huffington Post, other websites into press pool

Politico.com
They're concerned about pool reports coming from left or right-leaning media that will then be used by the rest of the press corps. "This is really troubling," says New York Times reporter Peter Baker. "We're blurring the line between news and punditry even further and opening ourselves to legitimate questions among readers about where the White House press corps gets its information."

Le Batard: ESPN doesn't want to follow the Tiger scandal, but it must

Miami Herald
"The choice is to either ignore it and be accused of protecting a golden boy or ignore it and lose all the eyeballs (and money) that immediately will go find it somewhere else," writes Dan Le Batard. He says the media used to exist at least in part to expose the wrong/illegal, but not they're more comfortable than ever uncovering the wrong/immoral.
> Pfankuch tells Tiger to stop blaming the media

Welcome to the news business, Comcast

NYTimes.com Media Decoder
Brian Stelter notes that with the sale of NBC Universal, Comcast gains a network news division, two cable news channels, and local stations with news shops. General Electric always pledged not to influence the network's news programming, and Comcast says it will "continue those policies" and "extend these policies to the potential influence of each of the owners."
> NBC's Zucker to employees: "It will be an exciting journey"

Voice of San Diego bans anonymous comments

Voice of San Diego
Editors say the move isn't censorship or a First Amendment issue. "This is a forum we're choosing to host and these are the rules we're asking people to abide by. ...We're working hard to create an intelligent, creative and constructive conversation on San Diego's most pressing issues."
> Plain Dealer website removes comments about "hate crime"

Schmidt: Google isn't making big profits on the back of newspapers

Wall Street Journal

"In search, we make our money primarily from advertisements for products," writes Google CEO Eric Schmidt. "A typical news search -- for Afghanistan, say -- may generate few if any ads. The revenue generated from the ads shown alongside news search queries is a tiny fraction of our search revenue."

Washington Times president doesn't rule out layoffs of greater than 40%

Washington Post
Jonathan Slevin also tells Howard Kurtz:
* "Having a print newspaper in Washington, D.C., is something that we did not at all consider giving up, unless it became absolutely necessary."
* No decision has been made about dropping the sports and metro sections. || Read Washington Times' story.

Boston Newspaper Guild expels president

Boston.com
Daniel Totten was ousted after a jury of five union members found him guilty of signing a check in violation of union bylaws, improperly using the union credit card for personal expenses and failing to produce receipts in a timely fashion. Totten says he's contesting the decision.

Help-Portrait Founder: 'Photography is a Chance to Feel a Sense of Dignity'

By Mallary Jean Tenore

 Many people are used to getting their photos taken and seeing their images in a frame, scrapbook or album. But some people have never been in front of a camera, have never posed for a picture with their child, or have only had one type of photo taken -- a criminal mugshot.  

Photographers worldwide are hoping to change that this holiday season. As part of a project called "Help-Portrait," they plan to take portraits of the homeless, low-income senior citizens, victims of domestic violence and others who might struggle to find reason to smile.   

The process is simple for photographers who want to participate in the Dec. 12 event: Locate people in need, take their portrait, print it and find a way to deliver it. Help-Portrait's founder, Jeremy Cowart, has asked that photographers not use the photos for their portfolios or personal blogs or Web sites. The one-day event, he said, is all about giving -- not taking -- photos. 

"It's kind of a photographer's mentality that as soon as we take pictures we post them on Flickr, get comments on them and feed our egos," said Cowart, a celebrity entertainment photographer. "I wanted to make this truly about simply giving back." 

The idea was inspired by Advent Conspiracy, a site that encourages people to spend less and give more during the holidays. Cowart shared his idea on Twitter and eventually it went viral. 

HelpPortrait.com

An online Ning group on Help-Portrait's Web site has attracted more than 5,000 photographers in about 600 different locations worldwide, Cowart said. Although there's no way to tell how many will participate in Help-Portrait, the activity in the online group's discussion forums suggests that people want to be part of it.Photographers in Dallas even created a video of an event similar to Help-Portrait to encourage people to get involved on the 12th.

Many of the participating photographers, some of whom are photojournalists, have organized photo shoots in their local communities and are partnering with homeless shelters, nonprofit organizations and churches. Others are acting independently and plan to take photos in centralized locations in their communities. 

Those taking part in Help-Portrait say they're looking at the project as an opportunity to use their skills to help others feel as though they matter, if only for a day. 

"I think people are constantly searching for the ability to feel beautiful," said freelance photojournalist Luanne Dietz. "By allowing someone to be in front of the camera and allowing us as journalists to take their picture, we can give them a moment that they may never have had before." 

Dietz is one of about 160 Atlanta-based volunteers and photographers who are partnering with Families First, a nonprofit family service agency in Georgia, to take photos of 200 families in need. The photographers will work together in five different locations throughout the city, Dietz said, and will work with Families First to distribute the photos they take on Dec. 12. The day has no particular significance, Cowart said, other than that 12/12 seemed catchy.

Photographers at Poynter's St. Petersburg Times will also be teaming up on the 12th to help out with the initiative.  

Times photographer Kathleen Flynn is organizing one of the Help-Portrait photo shoots in St. Petersburg and will join other Times photojournalists at a holiday party that the local YWCA is putting on for homeless children and their families. Families attending the party can opt to get a photo with Santa or to have their portrait taken. Local beauticians will also be on site so that families can get their makeup done for free before the photo shoot if they wish.  

"This gets at the heart of why I got into journalism," Flynn said of the initiative. "I feel like what we do has power, and it has power to help people. Pictures also validate our lives. And I think because of this they are important, in some way, to most everyone."

HelpPortrait.com A portrait of Melissa, a woman who was featured in a video explaining what Help-Portrait is.

A video explaining the mission of Help-Portraitfeatured interviews with people who never had their picture taken, or who had their photo taken after an arrest but never had a portrait they felt proud to give a family member or friend. 

"53 years old," one man said, "and never had a picture taken except for ... jail."

Barry Simmons, who directed and edited the video, said the experience reminded him of the significance of photos and the stories they tell. 

"If you don't have deep wounds, and you don't have scars from neglect and abuse and deep feelings of insecurity, then it probably is just a photo," said Simmons, a former WTVF-TV reporter in Nashville. "But it touches upon something that's a lot deeper than you might imagine."

The experience also fosters a sense of community, Help-Portrait organizers say, and gives photographers a chance to meet one another and collaborate. 

While people may have a desire to use their talent to help others, Cowart said, there's not always a platform for them to do so. Help-Portrait, he explained, gives them a starting point and a way to share their gift with others who may not be as fortunate.

"For those that have never had their pictures taken or rarely get the chance, photography is a chance to feel a sense of dignity ... a chance to feel worthy of being paid attention to," Cowart said. "And most of all it offers a glimpse of hope that maybe wasn't there before."

By Mallary Jean Tenore

 Many people are used to getting their photos taken and seeing their images in a frame, scrapbook or album. But some people have never been in front of a camera, have never posed for a picture with their child, or have only had one type of photo taken -- a criminal mugshot.  

Photographers worldwide are hoping to change that this holiday season. As part of a project called "Help-Portrait," they plan to take portraits of the homeless, low-income senior citizens, victims of domestic violence and others who might struggle to find reason to smile.   

The process is simple for photographers who want to participate in the Dec. 12 event: Locate people in need, take their portrait, print it and find a way to deliver it. Help-Portrait's founder, Jeremy Cowart, has asked that photographers not use the photos for their portfolios or personal blogs or Web sites. The one-day event, he said, is all about giving -- not taking -- photos. 

"It's kind of a photographer's mentality that as soon as we take pictures we post them on Flickr, get comments on them and feed our egos," said Cowart, a celebrity entertainment photographer. "I wanted to make this truly about simply giving back." 

The idea was inspired by Advent Conspiracy, a site that encourages people to spend less and give more during the holidays. Cowart shared his idea on Twitter and eventually it went viral. 

HelpPortrait.com

An online Ning group on Help-Portrait's Web site has attracted more than 5,000 photographers in about 600 different locations worldwide, Cowart said. Although there's no way to tell how many will participate in Help-Portrait, the activity in the online group's discussion forums suggests that people want to be part of it.Photographers in Dallas even created a video of an event similar to Help-Portrait to encourage people to get involved on the 12th.

Many of the participating photographers, some of whom are photojournalists, have organized photo shoots in their local communities and are partnering with homeless shelters, nonprofit organizations and churches. Others are acting independently and plan to take photos in centralized locations in their communities. 

Those taking part in Help-Portrait say they're looking at the project as an opportunity to use their skills to help others feel as though they matter, if only for a day. 

"I think people are constantly searching for the ability to feel beautiful," said freelance photojournalist Luanne Dietz. "By allowing someone to be in front of the camera and allowing us as journalists to take their picture, we can give them a moment that they may never have had before." 

Dietz is one of about 160 Atlanta-based volunteers and photographers who are partnering with Families First, a nonprofit family service agency in Georgia, to take photos of 200 families in need. The photographers will work together in five different locations throughout the city, Dietz said, and will work with Families First to distribute the photos they take on Dec. 12. The day has no particular significance, Cowart said, other than that 12/12 seemed catchy.

Photographers at Poynter's St. Petersburg Times will also be teaming up on the 12th to help out with the initiative.  

Times photographer Kathleen Flynn is organizing one of the Help-Portrait photo shoots in St. Petersburg and will join other Times photojournalists at a holiday party that the local YWCA is putting on for homeless children and their families. Families attending the party can opt to get a photo with Santa or to have their portrait taken. Local beauticians will also be on site so that families can get their makeup done for free before the photo shoot if they wish.  

"This gets at the heart of why I got into journalism," Flynn said of the initiative. "I feel like what we do has power, and it has power to help people. Pictures also validate our lives. And I think because of this they are important, in some way, to most everyone."

HelpPortrait.com A portrait of Melissa, a woman who was featured in a video explaining what Help-Portrait is.

A video explaining the mission of Help-Portraitfeatured interviews with people who never had their picture taken, or who had their photo taken after an arrest but never had a portrait they felt proud to give a family member or friend. 

"53 years old," one man said, "and never had a picture taken except for ... jail."

Barry Simmons, who directed and edited the video, said the experience reminded him of the significance of photos and the stories they tell. 

"If you don't have deep wounds, and you don't have scars from neglect and abuse and deep feelings of insecurity, then it probably is just a photo," said Simmons, a former WTVF-TV reporter in Nashville. "But it touches upon something that's a lot deeper than you might imagine."

The experience also fosters a sense of community, Help-Portrait organizers say, and gives photographers a chance to meet one another and collaborate. 

While people may have a desire to use their talent to help others, Cowart said, there's not always a platform for them to do so. Help-Portrait, he explained, gives them a starting point and a way to share their gift with others who may not be as fortunate.

"For those that have never had their pictures taken or rarely get the chance, photography is a chance to feel a sense of dignity ... a chance to feel worthy of being paid attention to," Cowart said. "And most of all it offers a glimpse of hope that maybe wasn't there before."