[AEJMC Newspaper Division list] New name for newspaper

[Rosenberry, Jack]

Bob:
  My point -- which maybe was not stated as clearly as it could have been -- is that if we are going to change the name I'd prefer to select one that AVOIDS turf fights, i.e., avoids language that sounds like are repositioning the division in ways that encroach on the work of other units.

Jack


-----Original Message-----
From: stepno at gmail.com on behalf of Bob Stepno
Sent: Fri 7/18/2008 3:09 PM
To: Rosenberry, Jack
Cc: news-list at aejmc.net
Subject: Re: [AEJMC Newspaper Division list] New name for newspaper
 
On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 1:09 PM, Rosenberry, Jack <JackR at sjfc.edu> wrote:

>
> As much as I like the simple elegance of "News Division" or even Gene's
> suggestion of "News Media," I fear it would be a name with "turf battle"
> written all over it it, as several others have pointed out. (About the only
> worse term in that regard would be "Journalism Division.")
>

Jack,

I think it would be better to fight the turf battle for "Journalism
Division" than "News Division."

"News" is after all, just news. The name might suggest our division just
reports the AEJMC news. But "journalism" is a craft, trade, profession or
practice -- something substantial, and would clearly state that  our
division is not about PR, advertising, social networking trends or video
games.

However, all of our media-specific divisions include people who do or did
practice journalism. The turf battle, while a losing cause, might actually
be healthy -- to get the divisions looking at their papers and publications
to defend the claim that "journalism" is still part of what they're about.

In any case, my first choice is still to stick with "Newspaper Division,"
with a subhead to place atop our print, online and future-telepathic
communications that explains our 21st century context -- even if that
subhead is "Not the fishwrap -- the journalism..."

Bob Stepno
mild-mannered division web editor
http://aejmc.net/newspaper

http://stepno.com http://stepno.com/blog http://www.radford.edu/comm