Journalistic journey needs guiding light
The year was 1981. A 15-year-old boy in his first year of high school decided to take a typing class.
One cold January day he was telling his typing teacher about the new camera he got and how much he loved to take pictures. The teacher, being the advisor for the student newspaper, knew that her photo staff was about to graduate that spring and she was on the lookout for new recruits.
She invited the boy to join the newspaper staff as a photographer. He did and the rest is history – my history. That is how I got into journalism. I love photography and page design. Over the years I have come to love writing and editing.
I spent the rest of my high school days as the photo editor of the Niwot South Paw. I then went to Adams State College where I joined the student newspaper, the South Coloradan, as its photo editor. I remained in that position for two years. The next year I became the associate editor and then editor my senior year. In the spring of 1987, I graduated as one of the last journalism majors at ASC. They changed the degree to mass communications after that.
From there my career took me to a weekly paper in Minnesota for two years, a small daily in northeastern North Carolina for seven years, my hometown paper in Colorado for eight years, Amarillo for two years and Hereford for just under a year. I am now at the two and a half year mark at the Waller County News Citizen.
It’s not that my career path is of anyone’s business but my own, but I bring it up to demonstrate that I have been in the occupation for a long time. In all those years, I have seen this industry go through significant change. Right now newspaper journalism is undergoing its biggest transformation since, well, ever.
If you are reading this in print it means you are A.) Old, or B.) A youngish person into the whole “retro” thing. Chances are that you are reading this online, most likely on www.yourwallernews.com or Facebook. From my perspective, printed newspapers have a relatively short lifespan. Soon it will all be online. Stories will no longer be days old, but minutes old. There will be more video and interactive elements. What you get now on your computer is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
As pulp editions pass away, old goats like me will have to adapt to the new ways or move on to more exciting careers like public relations or Walmart greeter. I understand that some of you reading this are thinking “if newspapers are going away, why should I subscribe?” That’s a very good question. Print editions will survive for a few years and they still offer things that you will not get online.
Many papers offer print-only news and content. Not long from now, I hope to have the Waller County News Citizen offering news that is print-only and online-only. Eventually we want our readers to migrate online. Same goes for advertisers. We also respect the fact that we still have a sizeable readership that doesn’t use a computer or does not like reading stories online.
This brings me to the point of this column. Print or online, this is where it becomes interactive. I need to hear from you, dear reader, about what kind of news/content you want to see in print and/or online. I can use my vast industry knowledge (aided by my ESP) to figure out what is of interest and importance to you. Or I can do what I’m doing here and asking you nicely to let me know.
I hope to revamp the paper later this year, but I want it to be relevant. I don’t want to change for change’s sake. I want this to be a publication that you just can’t wait to get your hands on each Thursday (which is also known as “Monday” by many of our postal customers).
I know that local news and sports are our meat and ’taters, but what can we offer in these paper pages that will keep you reading well into the digital age? Do you want state news or Houston news? Perhaps local business news or entertainment features? What about games and puzzles (Sudoku, etc.)? Do you like the local columns or should we do something different? Maybe there were newspaper features from yesteryear that you long to see again.
I don’t know what you want unless you tell me. The same goes for features on our website. Please, drop me a line at jsouthern@hcnonline.com or send a letter to me at 705 12th St., Hempstead, TX 77445. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
One cold January day he was telling his typing teacher about the new camera he got and how much he loved to take pictures. The teacher, being the advisor for the student newspaper, knew that her photo staff was about to graduate that spring and she was on the lookout for new recruits.
She invited the boy to join the newspaper staff as a photographer. He did and the rest is history – my history. That is how I got into journalism. I love photography and page design. Over the years I have come to love writing and editing.
I spent the rest of my high school days as the photo editor of the Niwot South Paw. I then went to Adams State College where I joined the student newspaper, the South Coloradan, as its photo editor. I remained in that position for two years. The next year I became the associate editor and then editor my senior year. In the spring of 1987, I graduated as one of the last journalism majors at ASC. They changed the degree to mass communications after that.
From there my career took me to a weekly paper in Minnesota for two years, a small daily in northeastern North Carolina for seven years, my hometown paper in Colorado for eight years, Amarillo for two years and Hereford for just under a year. I am now at the two and a half year mark at the Waller County News Citizen.
It’s not that my career path is of anyone’s business but my own, but I bring it up to demonstrate that I have been in the occupation for a long time. In all those years, I have seen this industry go through significant change. Right now newspaper journalism is undergoing its biggest transformation since, well, ever.
If you are reading this in print it means you are A.) Old, or B.) A youngish person into the whole “retro” thing. Chances are that you are reading this online, most likely on www.yourwallernews.com or Facebook. From my perspective, printed newspapers have a relatively short lifespan. Soon it will all be online. Stories will no longer be days old, but minutes old. There will be more video and interactive elements. What you get now on your computer is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
As pulp editions pass away, old goats like me will have to adapt to the new ways or move on to more exciting careers like public relations or Walmart greeter. I understand that some of you reading this are thinking “if newspapers are going away, why should I subscribe?” That’s a very good question. Print editions will survive for a few years and they still offer things that you will not get online.
Many papers offer print-only news and content. Not long from now, I hope to have the Waller County News Citizen offering news that is print-only and online-only. Eventually we want our readers to migrate online. Same goes for advertisers. We also respect the fact that we still have a sizeable readership that doesn’t use a computer or does not like reading stories online.
This brings me to the point of this column. Print or online, this is where it becomes interactive. I need to hear from you, dear reader, about what kind of news/content you want to see in print and/or online. I can use my vast industry knowledge (aided by my ESP) to figure out what is of interest and importance to you. Or I can do what I’m doing here and asking you nicely to let me know.
I hope to revamp the paper later this year, but I want it to be relevant. I don’t want to change for change’s sake. I want this to be a publication that you just can’t wait to get your hands on each Thursday (which is also known as “Monday” by many of our postal customers).
I know that local news and sports are our meat and ’taters, but what can we offer in these paper pages that will keep you reading well into the digital age? Do you want state news or Houston news? Perhaps local business news or entertainment features? What about games and puzzles (Sudoku, etc.)? Do you like the local columns or should we do something different? Maybe there were newspaper features from yesteryear that you long to see again.
I don’t know what you want unless you tell me. The same goes for features on our website. Please, drop me a line at jsouthern@hcnonline.com or send a letter to me at 705 12th St., Hempstead, TX 77445. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
posted by Joe Southern | 2:59 PM
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