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U. Stands for Ultra-liberal?
Here are some authentic rumors I'm trying to spread. Please
pass them on: John Kerry is rooting for the
Utes on Saturday . . . Moveon.org is doing grassroots organizing
for the “ Alex Smith for Heisman” campaign . .
. The U.is paying Michael Moore $200,000 for a
half-time appearance at Rice-Eccles Stadium to work Ute fans into
a frenzy . . . Howard Dean will perform the Ute
Whoop . . . Teresa Heinz Kerry is providing free
catsup for the tailgate party . . . Utah wine-and-cheese liberals
have a new motto: “We're too dumb to beat those Republicans in elections,
so we're going to take out all our frustrations in football!”
Newspapers and Timely News
When a news event occurs, where do you turn for the latest information?
If it's a local story, you turn on the radio or wait until the next
local TV news broadcast. If it's a national story you turn on cable
news, or you probably have a favorite Internet news site where the
latest news will be posted.
You probably don't even think of going to a local newspaper Web
site for breaking news. With newspapers, you usually have to wait
until the next morning. To me, that doesn't make a lot of sense,
especially given the fact that newspapers have far more resources,
including much bigger staffs, than radio or television. Newspapers
cover the news with more breadth and depth than other news organizations.
They just don't deliver it in a very timely fashion. When a newspaper
reporter goes out to cover a speech, a legislative committee hearing,
a fire or a big snowstorm, you usually have to wait until the next
morning to read about it.
This does seem to be changing, at least a little. I have noticed
of late that when a really big story breaks, the Deseret Morning
News , the Salt Lake Tribune and Standard-Examiner
will often do updates or bulletins on their Web sites during
the day. But if the news is more routine you have to wait until
the next day to read the story, either in print or on-line. Newspapers
are still very much geared around the once-a-day production and
delivery schedules of their printed newspapers, even though they
could deliver news 24/7 via their web sites.
I sent e-mail messages to top editors at the Tribune
and Morning News asking about their plans for more timely
news delivery via their Web sites. I received no response from the
Tribune , but Rick Hall, managing editor
at the Morning News, was nice enough to send this reply:
“Our ultimate goal with New Media and in our convergence efforts
with KSL, is to publish as quickly as possible on whatever platform
makes the most sense. Breaking news, of course, needs to get out
there as soon as possible. But beyond that, different kinds of news
and information will get the treatment they deserve better on TV,
or the Web, or on radio, or in the newspaper -- or on some other
platform(s) that are yet developing or haven't even been thought
of.
For example, the newspaper is the perfect home for a major investigative
piece, an in-depth Doug Robinson profile, or recipes
and "how-to" lists. TV is clearly the most visual medium. And, of
course, radio and the Web are the most immediate. Our goal is to
play to the strengths of each medium and give readers/viewers/listeners
-- the community -- the news and information they want and need
in the way they can best use it.”
The “convergence” effort Hall speaks of is the collaboration that
is going on between the Morning News , KSL TV
and KSL Radio , all three owned, of course, by the LDS
Church . We are seeing more and more cooperation among the three
news outlets, with a few newspaper reporters even appearing on the
air and on television. This collaboration makes a lot of sense,
but total convergence is very difficult given the difference in
cultures between TV, radio and newspapers. The three Utah news outlets
have been taking it slowly, and it will be very interesting to see
how it turns out.
State Web Sites for Juniors and Seniors
Noticed on Dave Fletcher’s Government
and Technology Weblog, a couple of interesting new Utah state
government Web sites, one aimed at youth: http://justforyouth.utah.gov,
and the other at senior citizens: www.utah.gov/living/seniors.
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