ISSUE

Winter 2003

Can Newspapers Reach the Young?

Newspaper reading isn’t a daily habit for most young people. Instead they catch headlines on Web sites, share opinions on Weblogs, and see breaking news alerts along TV scroll bars. Nor do they think they should pay for news reporting. “Deliver the newspaper to me free, and I’ll take a look,” typical young readers tell focus groups as news organizations look for ways to unlock the mysteries of how to connect with these reluctant consumers. – Melissa Ludtke, Editor

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Articles

Opinion

‘Baghdad Blues: A War Diary’

A photojournalist documents daily life during war.
David Turnley
December 15, 2003
Features

Connecting What Is Learned With What Is Done

At Gannett, different strategies aim at the same goal of attracting younger readers.
Jennifer Carroll
December 15, 2003
Features

The Washington Post Reaches Out to Young Readers

‘Put the journalism first, put the readers first, put the reporters first. And start to move.’
Steve Coll
December 15, 2003
Features

Lessons Worth Learning About Young Readers

Young people will read newspapers and creative minds are figuring out how to reach them.
Tom Curley
December 15, 2003
Features

Solving Some Mysteries About the Habits of the Young

The keys to turning young adults into newsreaders are out there.
John K. Hartman
December 15, 2003
Features

Are We Reaching Da Youth?

Young adults’ ‘rejection of “the news” might be a reaction to big journalism’s rejection of them.’
Danny Schechter
December 15, 2003
Opinion

When Journalists Report in Dangerous Places

An updated version of a journalist’s security handbook offers background and advice.
Committee to Protect Journalists
December 15, 2003
Opinion

An Oral History Tells Stories Seldom Heard During the War

In ‘Embedded,’ war correspondents speak frankly about their experiences in Iraq.
Bill Katovsky
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Reporting From Baghdad During the War

NPR correspondent Anne Garrels describes what she observed and thought while reporting from Iraq.
Anne Garrels
December 15, 2003
Opinion

How and Why Leaking of Secrets Happen

Journalists and senior intelligence officials are talking about ‘protecting government secrets without infringing on the right to report on the government.’
Jack Nelson
December 15, 2003
Opinion

The Press and Coverage of Dissent

Between October 31, 2001 and September 19, 2002, 20 sessions were held in which past and present government officials, foreign and domestic journalists, and scholars discussed topics related to the…
Marvin Kalb
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade Politics

Tracking Money in the California Recall Election

‘Newspapers miss a major element of campaign coverage if they give short shrift to campaign money.’
Dan Morain
December 15, 2003
Features

Why I Don’t Like Mainstream News

Young people find a lot not to like about the way news is often presented.
Youth Radio's student journalists
December 15, 2003
Features

Practicing Journalism in Elementary Classrooms

‘Could eight-, nine- and 10-year-olds, who had trouble sitting still for more than 10 minutes at a time, develop the skills to become reporters?’
Leah Kohlenberg
December 15, 2003
Features

Conventional Views a Teen Section Editor Must Break

Good journalists don’t put their opinions in their writing. Instead of teaching teens to keep themselves out of articles, editors need to teach them when and how they should write…
Lisa Scheid
December 15, 2003
Features

Excerpts From Leslie Koren’s Stories

RELATED ARTICLE“Writing Stories to Reach Young Adults”– Leslie KorenMy editors told me I’d need to lose the formal newspaper tone and spice up my stories when I took on this…
Leslie Koren
December 15, 2003
Features

Targeting Young Women as Newspaper Readers

The Arizona Republic uses a magazine-style tabloid focused on fashion to bring younger women to the paper.
Nicole Carroll
December 15, 2003
Features

Drawing Young Urban Commuters to a New Tabloid

‘Even the name had to say, “Look at me. I’m not like the other papers.”’
Joe Knowles
December 15, 2003
Features

How a Newspaper Becomes ‘H.I.P.’

To attract younger readers, a newspaper needs to be ‘human, interactive and personal.’
Colleen Pohlig
December 15, 2003
Features

Retaining the Core While Reaching Out to the Young

What is needed is a talented young staff, fresh ideas, and a solid business plan.
Henry B. Haitz III
December 15, 2003
Features

Approaching the End of the ‘Monomedia’ Era

Why do young people insist in not understanding what we, the press, do for them?
Thomaz Souto Corrêa
December 15, 2003
Features

When Teens Own a Part of the Newspaper

By featuring teen voices and experiences, a newspaper gives younger readers a place to call their own.
Lisa Scheid
December 15, 2003
Nieman Notes

Exploring the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge

By boat and backpack, three journalists wander through this vast, treeless tundra.
Richard Read
December 15, 2003
Features

Meshing Young Ideas With Older Sensibilities

At the Orlando Sentinel, reaching a younger audience is happening without alienating their older one.
Elaine Kramer
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Reporting From the Battlefield

‘… the unwritten last paragraph, the untaken last photo frame, is the true memorial of the war correspondent.’
Harold Evans
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Patriotism and Journalism

Edward R. Murrow said, ‘The terror is right here in this room.’
Danny Schechter
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Reporting in Closed Societies

‘Every lie tells you a truth. If you just leave your eyes and ears open, it’s extremely revealing.’
John Burns
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade

Covering the Recall for a Spanish-Speaking Audience

The political editor of La Opinión found herself being interviewed by a lot of other reporters.
Pilar Marrero
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Scuttlebutt and Speculation Fill a Political Weblog

A newspaper columnist’s blog becomes a must-read on the campaign trail.
Daniel Weintraub
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade Politics

Campaign Coverage Without the Candidates

A Sacramento Bee reporter and photographer discover the anger of California’s voters.
Marjie Lundstrom
December 15, 2003
Nieman Notes

The Watchdog Journalism Project Moves to the Web

‘We want to cajole, encourage, prod, stroke and, in the end, help create a sense of urgency and obligation to higher reporting standards.’
Barry Sussman
December 15, 2003
From the Curator

The New Knight Center at Walter Lippmann House

‘To the Niemans, there is no stationary state.’
Bob Giles
December 15, 2003
International Journalism

Pressures for Media Reform in Korea

There are loud calls for changes in the way the press and government interact.
Kwangchool Lee
December 15, 2003
Features

Writing Stories to Reach Young Adults

‘I put more of myself in stories by integrating my experiences and my thoughts and preferences in what I write.’
Leslie Koren
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade Politics

Celebrity Transforms Political Coverage

The Schwarzenegger campaign capitalized ‘on his celebrity to make ordinary journalism so marginally relevant to the outcome ….’
Dan Walters
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Winter 2003: Words & Reflections Introduction

As the Unites States’s military engagement continues in Iraq, dissent at home increases and news organizations wrestle with how to report on it, writes former CBS and NBC News correspondent,…
Melissa Ludtke
December 15, 2003
Opinion

Dissent: Public Opinion, Media Reaction

Though dissent is a constitutionally protected right, to engage in it—sometimes even to report on it—is to risk having one’s patriotism questioned.
Marvin Kalb
December 15, 2003
International Journalism

Lessons From SARS Coverage

Arguably, this coverage changed both the government and media in China.
Sun Yu
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade

The Anger Journalists Never Fully Understood

We must figure out ‘how to reach growing numbers of disillusioned citizens without pandering to them or jettisoning our core values.’
Jim Bettinger
December 15, 2003
Politics

The Campaigning of Political Reporters

This is ‘an era in which the reporter has become more important than readers or voters.'
Mark Simon
December 15, 2003
Features

Mixing Young and Old to Create a New Approach

Youth Radio succeeds by ‘balancing young producers’ insights and new ideas about content with the professionalism and knowledge of their adult counterparts.’
Ellin O’Leary
December 15, 2003
Features

L.A. Youth Partners With the Los Angeles Times

Its experiences offer valuable guidance for attracting younger readers.
Donna C. Myrow
December 15, 2003
Opinion

A Documentary Examines Cable News War Coverage

Was objectivity a casualty?
Margie Reedy
December 15, 2003
International Journalism

Winter 2003: International Journalism Introduction

Sun Yu, who for 12 years was a reporter and editor of the Chinese and English language editions of China Environment News, explores ways in which news coverage in China…
Melissa Ludtke
December 15, 2003
Features

Opening Up to Kids

Working to close the generation and credibility gap, post-Jayson Blair.
Shawn Moynihan
December 15, 2003
Features

Winter 2003: Young Readers Introduction

Newspaper reading isn’t a daily habit for most young people. Instead they catch headlines on Web sites, share opinions on Weblogs, and see breaking news alerts along TV scroll bars.…
Melissa Ludtke
December 15, 2003
Journalist’s Trade

Winter 2003: Journalist’s Trade Introduction

With its unusual purpose and Hollywood celebrity, California’s autumn recall election became an archetypal mix of entertainment and news reporting. Lessons from its reporters shed light on some of the…
Melissa Ludtke
December 15, 2003
Features

Seeing the Holocaust Through a Child’s Eyes

The following excerpt is from a longer piece, “Seeing Devastation Through a Child’s Eyes,” written by Kayla Conklin and published in Voices in April 2003. Conklin is a former Voices’…
Kayla Conklin
December 15, 2003
Politics

Wondering What a Political Story Is

In this celebrity-driven election, a journalist questions her judgment about what should be reported.
Ellen Ciurczak
December 15, 2003
Politics

Lights, Camera, Recall

Television news coverage could not get past a candidate’s star power.
Cecilia Alvear
December 15, 2003