[AEJMC Newspaper Division list] New name for newspaper division: don't do it!

[Paul Brinkman]

I agree with Phil.  I remember when the Newspaper Division was created.  It 
was because some folks looked around and said how could an organization of 
journalism and mass communication educators exist without a newspaper 
division when so many other aspects of our teaching areas were represented 
by their own divisions.  The need still exists.  In spite of all that is 
going on in the world of communication and the world of newspapers, it seems 
to me that the Newspaper Division should exist as long as newspapers exist 
in whatever form.

Del Brinkman, retired, past president of AEJMC and dean emeritus of Kansas 
and Colorado

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Meyer" <pmeyer at email.unc.edu>
To: "Rosenberry, Jack" <JackR at sjfc.edu>
Cc: <news-list at aejmc.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2008 12:34 PM
Subject: Re: [AEJMC Newspaper Division list] New name for newspaper 
division: don't do it!


>     I've been traveling and haven't had time to read all the posts, but
> here's my take. Don't do it!
>
>     We now have a historic opportunity. For decades, the newspaper
> industry ignored and/or belittled us. It was fat, happy, and prosperous
> and didn't need research. Now it is scared and eager to learn. And we
> and our journal can be just the help it needs. Plus the research
> questions are more interesting than ever now that the newspaper business
> is no longer in a steady state.
>
>     Trust me, what comes out of all the turmoil will still be called a
> newspaper. MinnPost.com, the St. Louis Beacon, Chi-Town Daily News are
> all called newspapers even though their only distribution is online. The
> newspaper of the future might appear on Roger Fidler's tablet, on
> electronic paper, on old-fashioned wood pulp, or online. But it will
> still be a newspaper, and it will have learned to focus on the one thing
> it does best which is provide local public affairs coverage to validate
> and enable civic discussion.
>
>    The name has too much history, too much significance to abandon just
> when the business is in trouble. Let's not walk away. We need to pitch
> in and help the owners and managers understand the fix they are in and
> to evaluate the outcomes of all the natural experiments that are
> starting to pop up. The name "newspaper division" need not constrain us
> as we explore all the permutations of the new technology. But it can
> help us stay grounded in our original purpose as we evaluate the myriad
> outcomes.
>
> Phil Meyer
>
> Rosenberry, Jack wrote:
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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