THE MILENIO´S TV COMMERCIAL

"Opens the debate"

The newsroom of Al Jazeera headquarters in Doha

Target?, originally uploaded by CBlanchard.

REAL NEWSROOMS (VIII)

Bloomberg newsroom, originally uploaded by pouyster.

The new Bloomberg newsroom in New York.

AP REPORTS ABOUT THE GANNETT'S "INFORMATION CENTERS"

Here.

USA ELECTIONS: PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES

The Polling Place Photo Project is a Winterhouse Institute and Design Observer initiative in collaboration with AIGA, Design for Democracy and NewAssignment.Net

The project seeks to advance innovation in citizen journalism by documenting local voter experiences during the today's U.S. midterm elections.

The goal of all participants is to both engage voters and to document voter experiences at the polling place, harnessing the power of online citizen journalism to build an archive of photographs that capture the richness and complexity of voting in America.

Get your cameras ready: Election Day is today and they need your photographs...

HOW THE "INFORMATION CENTERS" OF GANNETT WILL BE ORGANIZED

Exciting times for the newsrooms of the future.

Steve Fox tells us the good news:

"Newspapers, including Gannett’s, have traditionally operated in silos: national reporters and editors covered national news, photographers took care of the images, etc. Gannett takes all these traditions and throws them out the window. The focus will be on delivering information, not job titles and section loyalties."

According to Jeff Howe these are the seven divisions into which Gannett newsrooms will be reorganized.

By May 2007, the editorial side of each Information Center at Gannett newspapers will be organized into the following seven primary job areas:

1. Digital — selecting the best platform for news delivery.

2. Public Service — extending First Amendment coverage, in part by involving readers and asking for community input on investigative areas.

3. Community Conversation — expanding the concept of the editorial page; managing staff commentary, from editorials and blogs to columns; and encouraging community participation online.

4. Local — expanding local coverage and re-establishing sports, business and feature reporting into hyper-local areas.

5. Custom Content — connecting with identified target audiences and looking for efficiencies in repurposing content across all platforms.

6. Data — elevating the practice of managing and acquiring deep local information.

7. Multimedia — leading all visual presentation across every platform; photographers will be trained for any type of multimedia.

In USA TODAY like in all the Gannett newspapers, they have discovered that people no longer look to just newspapers for their daily fill of information.

As a consequence, the traditional newsroom management and structure has to change, and it will change.

As Gregory Korte, the Cincinnati Enquirer reporter noted "The newspaper of the future is going to need more programmers than copy editors, and we're going to have to figure out how to make that transition."

In the picture, USA TODAY Executive Editor John Hillkirk discusses the newsroom merger at a staff meeting.

GOOGLE TESTING SALES OF NEWSPAPER ADS

This makes sense to me because of the convenience factor for some advertisers. However, its not enough and not nearly what Google could be doing to revolutionize print advertising.

From what the article reads, it seems that this trial is only limited to selling, thus Google only acts as another distributor of ads for the selected papers.

The beauty of AdSense is the advanced algorithms that allow very good contextual positioning of advertising and efficiency tracking. This might not translate as well to a world of one edition per day but at least Google should try the contextual component of its system with newspapers.

Doing this would require the integration of Google's system and the newspaper's editorial system. This would allow effective contextual advertisement in print.

The question is, would newspapers allow it? I'm sure many won't. Too bad because this is the future of print advertisement. Someone will allow it and that someone will win.

Google to Try Selling Advertisements for Newspapers - washingtonpost.com

THE UNEXPECTED NEWS ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN VERDICT: THE REACTION OF TONY BLAIR

49 minutes ago, the news came from London.

AP reports:

"Blair opposes death penalty for Saddam

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Monday he opposed the death penalty for Saddam Hussein even though the deposed Iraqi leader's trial had reminded the world of his brutality. Asked about Saddam's sentence at his monthly press conference, Blair noted that Britain opposed the death penalty "whether it's Saddam or anyone else."

Anybody predicted this reaction?

No.

Is this a surprise?

No.

Why?

Tony Blair is a more serious politician than Bush and his troupe.

And good for AP.

TODAY'S FRONT PAGES FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN

These are some of the covers 24 hours after the big news about Saddam.

As expected, just the old news.

Not too much creativity.

No planning.

No surprises.

Again, and again, the same "breaking-news" reaction when print newspaper are not anymore breaking-news media.

And a few exceptions like the good headline from the NY Daily News in the tabloid tradition, the what's next approach in the The Oregonian, Virginian-Pilot and Daily Breeze, more analysis in The New York Times La Presse and Le Figaro, and an excellent photo choice in Publico and The Kansas City Star with the people's reaction to the TV news.

THE GREEK TV UNDER HEAVY CRITISCISM

An interesting front page from yesterday's Sunday edition of one of the main Greek papers.

"When the TV is off, life begins."

A recent case of rape in a Greek high school has been treated in a very sensationalistic way by TV and this covers shows this criticism.

TV NEGATIVE POLITICAL ADS

A good front page from an American newspaper before this week elections.

STOP THE PRESSES: THESE ARE THE SADDAM HUSEEIN STORIES THAT WE WANT TO READ IN TOMORROW'S NEWSPAPERS

Right now we know the verdict.

But, please, tell us more.

Like:

1. Tell us more about the Chief Judge.

As the leading Canadian blogger says today

"No matter your position on the Iraq war and the difficulties they face, there is one thing that all reasonable people can agree on - it is home to some of the most courageous people on Earth. Chief Judge Raouf Abdul-Rahman and the others who serve in the fledgling justice system are surely among them."

2. Tell us more about Ransey Clark the US legal advisor of the dictator?

As AP says today:

"Before the session began, one of Saddam's lawyers, former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, was ejected from the courtroom after handing the judge a memorandum in which he called the trial a travesty.

Chief Judge Raouf Abdul-Rahman pointed to Clark and said in English, "Get out."

3. Tell us more about the reactions in his hometown.

Again for AP:

"In Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, 1,000 people defied the curfew and carried pictures of the city's favorite son through the streets. Some declared the court a product of the U.S. "occupation forces" and condemned the verdict."

4. Tell us more about Saddam's prison.

Any chances that he can be rescued by anybody?

Where is he kept?

How is he taken to the court?

Where is the court?

What are the security measures?

Where could the sentence be executed?

Who will be the people in charge of the execution?

Infographic journalists have a great job to do in the next few days, as many of these details will be not presented in TV.

Will the newspapers do the job?

I am not sure, but I will be more than happy to get any great examples of this kind of coverage.

And not just yesterday's news.

ANOTHER WAVE OF "WE GOT HIM!" FRONT PAGES?

It's official.

Minutes ago came the big news of this Sunday:

Saddam Hussein sentenced to hang.

I can guarantee you that tomorrow 99% of the world press will have this headline.

It's going to be another wave like the "We Got Him!" one.

But that was unexpected.

It was a real surprise.

Now, it is different.

Since Friday, we knew that THIS SUNDAY, the court will announce the verdict.

Ok, let's see what our editors have planned.

I will report to you and. please, help me to find the great 1% that, I guess, will do a great job, and show how planning, imagination and good journalism, is the only need in our newspapers.

SO, YOU WANT "REAL CHANGES"? OK, LET'S START WITH THE "REAL" DAILY LIFE IN YOUR NEWSROOM

The excellent blog of John Robinson, the News & Record editor in Greensboro, North Carolina, posted yesterday this funny (but quite real) graphic.

Is this the way that we work in our newsrooms?

Yes, it is worse tha that.

This is too soft.

It doesn't include the timetable, because than you will see how much time is wasted in gossip, boring meeting, marginal and burocratic tasks, and how little time is devoted to planning, creative discussions, reporting and editing.

The problem of our newsrooms is not that they need more or better people, but they need really, desperately is better newsroom management, and focus in just one thing: think, think, think.

For what?

To find grsat stories.

To explain well the news behind the news.

To promote compelling graphic presentations.

And to think and talk all the day not with your peers but with your readers.

Newspapers are going to change a lot.

But newsrooms have to be rebuilded from scratch.

Open spaces.

Wall down.

No private offices.

Editors in tge middle of the newsroom.

Like Michael Blooimberg that in his NY City Hall.

Like Steven Spielberg does when directs any film.

Leading, inspiring, diirecting.

Newsrooms need you, editors.

Because you are not there.

Your publishers, general manager, politicians, big business people and other VIP's keep you distracted.

That's the problem.

Your newsroom needs leadership, but you are to bussy.

They too, but not doing but they have to do, and (the most frustrating thing) what we love to do:

Journalism!

NEWSPAPER PROFITS AND ONLINE ADVERTISING

Two relevant quotes from a web exclusive of Jessica Ramirez in Newsweek:

PROFITS

"Newspaper profitability remains high.

Cash-flow margins—a good measure of the self-financing capabilities and profitability of a business—are still high.

The New York Times Co., which posted a 3.5 percent slump in circulation, had a 15 percent margin last year, according to JPMorgan Chase; The Tribune Co., which owns the L.A. Times, had 20 percent across its various papers, and Knight Ridder, which was sold to McClatchy Co. earlier this year, had a 2005 margin of 19.9 percent.

Those margins are higher than those of many big Fortune 500 firms, including IBM.

“I think there’s this perception that the industry is somehow losing money,” says John Kimball, chief marketing officer at the Newspaper Association of America.

“Believe me, we are not losing money.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING

"JPMorgan analyst Fred Searby notes that online ad revenue, while growing, only represents an average of 6 percent of total ad sales."

THIS WEEKEND: THE EUROPEAN NEWSPAPER ADWARDS

This weekend in Dusseldorf, Germany, an international jury will decide this year's European Newspaper Awards.

The most important newspaper competition in Europe is organized by the newspaper designer Norbert Küpper (Germany) in co-operation with the journalists' magazines Medium Magazin (Frankfurt), Der Österreichische Journalist (Salzburg) and Schweizer Journalist (Zürich).

Last year, THE GUARDIAN was awarded as the Europe's Best Designed Newspaper in the category 'national newspaper' and DIE ZEIT as the Europe's Best Designed Newspaper in the category 'weekly newspaper'

THE INNOVATION'S "INFORMATION ENGINE" CONCEPT COMES TO USA TODAY'S NEWSROOM

Last Thursday, the CEO of Gannett, Craig Dubow, sent this historical memo to all his newsrooms:

"I'd like to talk about a Gannett innovation called the Information Center. It's being launched now in some locations around the company, and plans are being made to broaden that rollout across Gannett.

What is it? The Information Center is a way to gather and disseminate news and information across all platforms, 24/7. The Information Center will let us gather the very local news and information that customers want, then distribute it when, where and how our customers seek it. It is the essence of our Vision and Mission and a key element of our Strategic Plan.

The Information Center, frankly, is the newsroom of the future. It will fulfill today's needs for a more flexible, broader-based approach to the information gathering process. And it will be platform agnostic: News and information will be delivered to the right media - be it newspapers, online, mobile, video or ones not yet invented - at the right time. Our customers will decide which they prefer.

Plans for the Information Center have been nurtured and developed in the Newspaper Division over the past several months. Pilot projects took place in 11 locations. Three - Des Moines, Sioux Falls and Brevard - were full scale implementations of an Information Center while other sites tested different aspects of information gathering such as crowd sourcing and multimedia.

What they found is remarkable: Breaking news on the Web and updating for the newspaper draws more people to both those media. Asking the community for help, gets it - and delivers the newspaper into the heart of community conversations once again. Rich and deep databases with local, local information gathered efficiently are central to the whole process. The changes impact all media, and the public has approved. Results include stronger newspapers, more popular Web sites and more opportunities to attract the customers advertisers want.

Editors who met at our headquarters in October were given the details of how to make it happen, and were asked to submit plans by December for converting their newsrooms. Sue Clark-Johnson and her team, including Jennifer Carroll, Michael Maness, moved mountains to make the Information Center concept real, test it and roll it out to editors in a matter of months. They deserve our gratitude.

There is much more, of course, to come as we make these changes. Linking advertising with this new effort is key and you will be hearing more about that in the coming weeks. Simply, appealing to more and different readers helps bring us more and different advertisers. A key facet of the Information Center is understanding our customers in ways we never have before - and that will help our advertisers reach the people they need.

Implementing the Center across Gannett quickly is essential. Our industry is changing in ways that create great opportunity for Gannett. Innovations such as the Information Center are one way we are meeting the challenge and implementing our strategic plan."

For me the most interesting point in this historical memo is the reference to advertising.

As INNOVATION has said in the past "Information Engines" must cover commercial and journalistic information, one is produced by our adverting departments and the other by our newsrooms, but both must work in the same fashion: integration means cross-media publishing and cross-media selling.

And more on that: our experience is that the newsroom integration is easier than the commercial one.

General managers and advertising directors must play the same kind of leadership.

No "information center" or "information engine" will work without these two basic areas heading to the same direction.

The integration is a corporate goal.

I am sure that Gannett will do it very well in both fields.

And be ready to hear in the next few weeks about more USA newspapers tmaking his kind of shift in their news operations.

SHOW DON'T TELL: WHY GRAPHIC REDESIGNS WILL NOT SAVE NEWSPAPERS

Well, this is too much.

NewDesigner tracks the last USA redesigns and adds the most recent ones in the UK and the conclusion is clear: what newspapers need now is more than graphic redesigns.

Of course, many of these USA redesigns were done before changes in the amount of free copies that many of these papers were giving away, but the reality is this:

You can re-design your paper (and many USA paper need to improve their poor presentation and poor printing) but don't expect too much from re-decoration.

Newspaper don't need just cosmetics solutions.

Re-thinking your paper is the new mantra.

But the real changes are:

-On and Off Line Newsroom Integration.

-Physical Redesign of our Newsrooms (Open Space/Walls Down Projects)

-Re-thinking of the Content.

-Macrosections versus Microsections.

-Breaking News Online.

-Why and What's Next Newspapers.

-Daily-News-Magazines.

-Kill the Multi-Section Newspaper

-Welcome to Compact Newspapers.

-Try the "Accordion" Newspaper.

-Implement the new "Radar" Departments.

-Less Pages. Better Editing. More Reading.

-Promote, Promote, Promote.

-Print More and Better color.

-Use Better Ink and Newsprint.

-And fire the editors that redesign newspapers in order not no make real changes (this really works).

THE "READING WITHOUT READING" NEWSPAPER TREND: FROM COWS TO FILET MIGNONS

The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) reports that 57 million Americans visit newspaper websites for an average of 1.37 minutes a day.

Well, four years ago, the average reader of an US print newspaper devoted 20 minutes to "reading" the daily newspaper.

Today this figure is 10 minutes.

If this is the case, US is becoming an on-and-off line newspaper market with "Reading without Reading", following the same trend presented in the recent bestseller, The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell.

If in 10 minutes you can just "look at" and not "read" a newspaper, in 1.37 minutes you will not be able to get either too much information on any news web site.

Newspapers are now literary written for today's time-starved audiences, and the same happens with the design of our web sites.

Do we need a more powerpoint-oriented newspapers?

Do we need more briefings?

Yes.

But to write short and meaningful stories takes more time and effort than to write in the traditional literay style.

We believe that a second generation of "quick-read-formats" is needed.

Not fat.

Not McPapers.

But real beef.

The Week in the UK, the New York magazine and The New York Times Week in Review in the USA, or Expresso in Portugal, and a few other media, are experimenting with these new formats.

When you go to a restaurant and you order a filet mignon, you don't expect to get the hole cow.

Many newspapers deliver too many "cows" and only a few "filet mignons."

Readers, too, need and ask for "more in less."

Remember, this is the iPod generation.

What a challenge!

THE NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (NAA) ADVERTISING ARGUMENTS

Now that everybody seems so pessimistic about the future of newspapers as an advertising medium, I found this excellent collection of powerpoint presentation from the NAA that presents interesting data and arguments.

Worth to browse and see the other side os the story.

As we said many times, let's not forget that newspapers companies still make three times more money than the average 500 Fortune companies.

The problem is that until very recently they were making not three times but six times more money than them.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL'S WAY OF LIFE: OUR OPINION FOR YOUR MONEY

Romenesko's headline:

Providence Journal stuns readers with pro-casino editorial

Ian Donnis says favoring a proposed Harrah's casino is "a remarkable switch" for the Journal, which for years has staunchly opposed the establishment of a destination casino in Rhode Island. He writes: "Some readers, in letters to the editor, have suggested that the change was motivated by a desire to cultivate more advertising -- a theory endorsed by at least some in the newsroom -- or ordered by the newspaper's Dallas-based [Belo] ownership."

And ProJo reader says: "What is going on here?? I am expecting The Journal to explain why it has changed its opinion. Is it because advertising revenue, current and future, has influenced its position?"

Now you know why this paper is in trouble.

Holly cow

Another "cathedral without soul."

INNOVATION OR DEATH: THE ONLY OPTION FOR THE NEWSPAPER COMPANIES OF THE FUTURE AND THE FUTURE OF NEWSPAPERS

Jeff Jarvis is very direct:

Last night, we had our gala opening for the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and many noted with rueful nostalgia that we were in the old Herald-Tribune building (next to the new New York Times building). We were surrounded by computers and screens and students: in short, the future. It’s a reminder that newspapers do die. But journalism will continue, in one form or another.

My view is this.

The English word for news-papers is very bad.

Because we are in the news business not in the printing one.

The French work "journal", the Spanish one "periodico" or the Italian one "giornale" are better as they don't stress the print part.

Let's not forget that the first "papers" were called just "gazettes"

For this reason, I prefer not to announce the death of anybody, including news-papers.

As you reported, and the editor of The Guardian said, for many newspaper companies "perhaps these are the last printing presses that we buy..."

But great newspaper brands like The Guardian, The New York Times, La Vanguardia, La Repubblica, Expresso, O Globo, Reforma, The Sidney Morning Herald, Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung or El Pais will be able to make the transition if they embrace the "agnostic platform" approach.

Of course many other will not as they do not realize this dramatic shift.

The New York Herald is dead, and it was not killed by internet.

The newspapering history is full casualties.

The option has been here like in any other industry, to innovate or die.

I am sure that we will see a lot of innovators, and, why not?, a lot of deaths.

Innovation is not easy and "leading from the back" is the last strategy to adopt.

Newspaper publishers and editors need to take risks and lead taking the shots, because the "wait and see" is not an option anymore.

The Guardian's set of mine is perfect: let's start the transition right now at the same time that we are investing big money in what is going to be the past very, very soon.

THE CIRCULATION CRISIS ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES: NO PROBLEM

From a memo of Scott Heekin-Canedy, president and general manager of The New York Times:

Dear Colleagues,

Yesterday, the most recent circulation results for The New York Times and other newspapers were released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

As we expected, The Times posted a modest decline (-3.5%) in our daily and Sunday circulation, the first in several years.

This is a result of the strategic decision we made to focus our efforts on the paid circulation that advertisers value most.

For example, we recently replaced our "two weeks free" promotion with our traditional 50% offer.

In addition, we also had a modest price increase in February.

We believe these actions will enable us to sustain our circulation in a more financially prudent fashion, enhance customer loyalty and provide our advertisers with the circulation quality they expect.

Our strategy is, in fact, working: our individual paid circulation, a key indicator of circulation quality, remains at 87%, one of the highest in the industry.

Our daily circulation is now 1,086,798; Sunday circulation is 1,623,697.

You should know that our audience remains strong.

Our home delivery circulation, thanks to national expansion, continues to be stable.

You should also know that our circulation in the key Manhattan market is stronger than all the competition.

Finally, our digital leadership is unparalleled in the newspaper community.

NYTimes.com is the largest newspaper-owned Web site in the world.

We will continue to monitor and manage our profitable circulation growth in the context of our overall strategy objectives.

Scott

What kind of strategy is this one that presents a -3.5% decline in such a optimistic way?

The first rule to find a solution is to understand the problem.

Well, it seems that in The New York Times there are no problems.

Perfectly blind.

THE NEW YORK POST GAINS READERS BUT NOT ADVERTISERS

Daily circulation at the paper overtook the Daily News and showed gains of 5%

Perhaps the only major metro in the country to report such growth to 704,011 copies.

That's an increase of 34,348 copies over the same period in 2005

The New York Post surpasses the Daily News and The Washington Post to become the 5th largest newspaper in America after bucking the national trend and chalking up a whopping 5.1 percent jump in circulation.

Well, keep in mind that the Murdoch paper is losing a lot of money, charging only $0.25 per copy plus giving away as many papers as possible.

USA NEWSPAPERS: WORST NUMBERS THAN EVER. LESS AND OLDER READERS. PERIOD.

Here there are the top 25 daily newspapers in the U.S. by circulation (with percent change) for the six-month period ending September 2006.

1. USA Today: 2,269509, (-1.3%)

2. The Wall Street Journal: 2,043235, (-1.9%)

3. The New York Times: 1,086,798, (-3.5%)

4. Los Angeles Times: 775,766, (-8.0%)

5. The New York Post: 704,011, 5.1%

6. Daily News: 693,382, 1.0%

7. The Washington Post: 656,297, (-3.3%)

8. Chicago Tribune: 576,132, (-1.7%)

9. Houston Chronicle: 508,097, (-3.6%)

10. Newsday: 413,579, (-4.9%)

11. The Arizona Republic, Phoenix: 397,294, (-2.5%)

12. The Boston Globe: 386,415, (-6.7%)

13. The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.: 378,100, (-5.5%)

14. San Francisco Chronicle: 373,805, (-5.3%)

15. The Star Tribune, Minneapolis: 358,887, (-4.1%)

16. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 350,157, (-3.4%)

17. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland: 336,939, (-0.6%)

18. The Philadelphia Inquirer: 330,622, (-7.5%)

19. Detroit Free Press: 328,628, (-3.6%)

20. The Oregonian, Portland: 310,803, (-6.8%)

21. The San Diego Union-Tribune: 304,334, (-3.1%)

22. St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times: 288,676, (-3.2%)

23. The Orange County (Calif.) Register: 287,204, (-3.7%)

24. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch: 276,588, 0.6%

25. The Sacramento (Calif.) Bee: 273,609, (-5.4%)

In no other country in the world, no one, the leading newspapers are doing so poorly.

Even more: many of these papers are going to be sold, some of the editors and publishers will be fired and only a few of them will make real changes.

What's Nex?

Less readers.

Older Readers.

Less advertising.

Less journalists.

Less journalism.

They were sleeping.

And still they are.

ELECTION PREVIEWS (I)

As always, small newspapers do things better than the big ones.

Election previews, like this one from Daytona Beach.

Via Nicole Bodgas

TED KENNEDY ON NET NEUTRALITY

Politicians using YouTube to send messages on public issues.

A 3:22 minute video from Senator Kennedy, that got until today almost 300.000 views and more than 800 comments.

As one of them says:

"Smart politician. Posting an ad on youtube."

ADWATCH AND OTHER "QUICK-READ-FORMATS" THAT NEWSPAPERS MUT DO DURING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

Adwatch is a regular column in my local paper.

Today's one is a perfect example of what newspaper can and must do during election times.

Webb revenue quote taken out of context

THE CANDIDATE On behalf of Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen

THE IMAGES An image of a bucolic Virginia farm shatters like a mirror, revealing Democrat Jim Webb in the background. A video clip from an Oct. 9 League of Women Voter s debate is shown in which Webb says, " We kid ourselves if we don't say we need new revenues."

THE CLAIM Webb would raise taxes if elected. "More revenues is Washington-speak for higher taxes," a narrator explains. "Higher taxes for Virginia's families. Jim Webb. He's not a Virginia Democrat. He's a Washington liberal."

THE FACTS The snippet from the debate was taken out of context and violated an agreement not to use the debate footage in campaign ads, reasons the League of Women Voters demanded - unsuccessfully - that Allen stop airing the ad. During the debate, Webb said America could not continue to run up huge deficits. He said he would target corporate tax loopholes, not individuals, to close the gap.

THE SCHEDULE The ad, paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is running throughout Virginia.

Reach Tony Germanotta at (757) 446-2377 or tony.germanotta@pilotonline.com.


Well, newspaper must develop similar quick-read-formats for:

1. The public opinion polls released during the campaigns.

2. The main speeches of the candidates.

3. The analysis of their programs.

4. The political blogs.

5. And also, please, be fair, for the print newspaper political ads.


Peter Zollman is right in his recent column about The Voter Guide Challenge:

With midterm elections coming up in the U.S., many newspapers offer an online voter's guide.

But I fear some of them may be missing the most important issues.

Information is available in lots of places -- print, online, television, etc. -- about the governor's race and the Senate race.

There’s lots of material handy, too, about the candidates for state attorney general, chief financial officer and commissioner of agriculture.

But I have only one place to turn, my local newspaper, for information about such things as a county charter change; a ballot referendum on "disclosure of ownership interests for county land-use applications," and similar community initiatives.

The supervisor of the soil and water conservation district isn't advertising on television or sending me direct mail -- only my local paper is likely to cover that race and provide me with the information I need to decide.

HELLO, THERE! THE HERO OF THE NBA IS DEAD

I am not a basketball fan, but reading today´s sober farewells to Red Auerbach makes me think about was really wrong in the USA newspapers.

He was a real hero.

The force behind the NBA.

A basketball legend.

The author of “Basketball for the Player, the Fan and Coach.”

The magic Boston Celtics coach and manager (nine NBA championships in 10 seasons!)

Red Auerbach was the greatest basketball coach/executive who ever lived.

A competition that now is as local in Europe, Asia, Latin America or Australia than in the USA.

Reading the AP obituary (an excellent one, but buried inside of many sports sections) I realized that his departure deserved the front page of our best newspapers.

Well, we were so busy in yesterday's "page one" news-meetings packaging boring news that we forgot about the 98-year NBA hero.

Bill Simmons an ESPN columnist wrote today:

"The Celtics will mourn the soul of their franchise on Wednesday night.

Red's seat in Section 12 will remain empty.

Old players will show up.

Bagpipes will be played.

A tribute video will run on the brand-new Jumbotron that Red would have hated.

People will cheer, people will clap, people will cry.

It's going to be an emotional night."

Yes, what many newspapers do not carry anymore: emotions.

In the pictures: Red Auerbach made his final public appearance on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., speaking after being honored with the 2006 Lone Sailor Award by the United States Navy, and flowers were placed yesterday at the Red Auerbach statue in Faneuil Hall.

WALTER MOSSBERG, THE KING OF PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY JOURNALISM

Read this from his last column at The Wall Street Journal and you will understand why he is the most well paid journalist in the USA:

It's time for my annual fall computer buyer's guide, and this year my message is a little unusual.

If you're thinking of acquiring or giving a new Windows desktop or laptop computer this holiday season, don't do it.

I suggest that, if at all possible, you wait around 90 days and get that new Windows machine in February. I advise this delay because the Windows world is on the verge of an upheaval. Microsoft is about to replace its tired, insecure Windows XP operating system with the first all-new version of Windows in more than five years.

It's called Windows Vista, and it's likely to be more secure and easier to use. But Vista won't be available until around Jan. 30, 2007.

So, all those brand-new Windows computers you might buy this holiday season will be powered by an operating system that is on its deathbed.

Walt Mossberg is the author and creator of the weekly Personal Technology column in The Wall Street Journal, which has appeared every Thursday since 1991.

Newsweek magazine calls Mr. Mossberg "the most powerful arbiter of consumer tastes in the computer world today."

Readers love him.

I am too.