We got the grant!

The American Society of Newspaper Editors has selected the Tracy Press and Millennium High School for an ASNE Partnership grant. The money — $2,500 — will be used for video equipment and software.

The grant is part of an ASNE initiative to promote the next generation of digital journalists and news consumers, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Millennium class, meanwhile, will create an online newspaper, a key component of which will be video journalism. And the Tracy Press also will add video to its site, thanks to this grant.

All suggestions for software and equipment accepted here!

Week 4: A copy editor

For the scoop on Jon Mendelson's take on this day's class, go to his blog, Second Thoughts.

Week 3: A photographer

Glenn Moore is scheduled to talk about newspaper photography — and also take a look at the class cameras. And we'll have a surprise for Mr. Eddy!
- Cheri

Week 2: A reporter

Aaron Rognstad, our newest reporter, shared his experiences as a reporter, both for newspapers and the military.

Here's his notes on today's class:

Jack asked me what the most important things about being a journalist were, and I told him to make sure the information you write is accurate and free of factual errors. I told the students to always double-check spellings of names (something I should do more of!) and to make sure they get the technical details correct. Most importantly though, I stressed integrity and honesty in your writing, because without that, a journalist isn’t worth his word, and that’s everything in journalism.

I also went a little into my background and how I came to be a journalist. I told the class it was the military that got me into reporting, and I expressed a desire to be a war correspondent at some point down the road. I told the students if they want to a future in the journalism biz, they should immediately try to write for their student newspaper and get published as soon as possible to begin to get experience and some clips under their belts. I also told them to get on with their college newspaper when they go off to university, and then after that to get an internship. I stressed these stepping stones as crucial to landing a job as a reporter some day.

Any questions comments about the class today? Feel free to leave some!

Millennium's journalists

Mr. Eddy asked me to talk today about newspapers in the 21st century, but I started by talking about Gutenberg, who invented the printing press in 1447, and I described the growth of the newspaper industry through the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of radio and TV, and the technological revolution.

Finally, when I got to modern times, we talked about what's changed for newspapers in just the last 10 years, besides technology — demographics, reading habits and revenues.

I tried to convince everybody that newspapers aren't toast. While we haven't been quick to respond to change, we're now seeing the hybridization of print and digital media, and we're still cheap (for readers), convenient and easy to read, arguably trustworthy in our newsgathering and open to community journalism. And we're the best watchdog of government and freedom of information there is.

The five, bright students in this class want to start an electronic newspaper and a blog. They want to ask questions, write stories, take photos, take video and more. I think it's going to be fun!

Andrew Sanabra (left), Jorden Holden, Danielle Lamb, Dane Tran and Matt West.
(Photos by Anthony Brenes)

Feel free to post comments or questions here!

Hello, Millennium students

I want to revive this blog. Thursday will be my first meeting with Jack Eddy's Millennium High School journalism class. The class topic is "The Newspaper in the 21st Century."

More info, coming soon!

Sunshine experiment in Palo Alto

San Francisco Bay Guardian

he Palo Alto City Council is conducting a unique experiment in its efforts to comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires government bodies to conduct business in a public way.

Palo Alto now posts e-mails from council members on the city's Web site (www.cityofpaloalto.org/council), providing easy access to all with Internet capabilities. The e-mails were first posted online following a 2003 settlement of a Brown Act lawsuit against the city of Palo Alto by two local newspapers — Palo Alto Weekly and The San Jose Mercury News.

Eight private e-mails were in question, disclosing the votes of a closed city council session, and while the city never admitted guilt in violating the Brown Act, language in the settlement established the practice of posting council e-mails on the Web site and making them available in council agenda packets prior to meetings.

Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, questions the merits of the system.

"Some people would look at this and think it is a giant and serial violation of the Brown Act — but I wouldn't necessarily say that," Scheer told the Guardian, noting that the prohibition on serial meetings bans such an approach. But he said that this is an interesting experiment, as long as council members don't deliberate by e-mail. But assistant city manager Emily Harrison told us the messages avoid Brown Act violations by sticking to basic questions about agenda items, which the public can scrutinize.

The city of San Francisco has no such system in place, and e-mails to and from the Board of Supervisors is available only through direct request. Frank Darby, the city's Sunshine Ordinance Task Force administrator, said that the city had never looked into putting one in place.

"We are not required to post e-mails [under the Sunshine Ordinance]," Darby said. However, he added, the city "constantly monitors" itself to ensure that it is in accordance with the Sunshine law. "There may be some people who disagree and feel that maybe we should put every e-mail online — but currently the Sunshine Ordinance does not require that e-mails be made available online."

Main Street America

You've heard all about the demise of newspapers. But what about community newspapers, those weeklies, twice-weeklies and three-times-a-week papers that report on local news?

This just in from the National Newspaper Association: Readership of community newspapers has increased slightly — from 81 percent in 2005 to 83 percent in 2007.

"We know community newspapers have a different story to tell than some of the big dailies," says Steve Haynes, president of NNA and of Haynes Publishing Co. in Kansas.

Read more here.
(Photo of Tracy Press intern Evan Gong)

Similar public records cases

These two cases, which are similar to the Tracy Press' pending suit over a councilwoman's e-mails, recently crossed my desk. One is settled, and the other is before a state supreme court.

• A state district judge in Texas has ruled that the city of Dallas must release e-mails requested nearly two years before by The Dallas Morning News, including messages from a city official's BlackBerry and personal e-mail account.

"This is a really important decision," said Charles Davis, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. "One of the arguments we're seeing emerge among public officials is that certain delivery platforms or technological devices should be, by their very nature, private, because they own them, or they keep them in their pocket. The delivery platform doesn't make any difference. It's what the content of the message is. If the content of the message is about governing, then it should be public."

• The Ohio Supreme Court has taken a case in which a retired prosecutor has sued a state representative for e-mail and text messages from private accounts that pertain to state business. Attorney General Marc Dann has said that both are public documents if they deal with government business, even if they come from private accounts

Congress passes Open Government Act

Here's a reason to cheer!

Congress has passed the Open Government Act, the first significant reform of the Freedom of Information Act in more a decade. President Bush is expected to sign S. 2488, which would create a tracking system and hotline for requesters, waive fees if federal agencies miss deadlines, create a FOIA ombudsman and make it easier for the public to recover legal fees when litigation helps the release of records.

Press Club takes notice

The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club weighs in on our appeal for a councilwoman's e-mail, with links to our opening brief to the appeals court and friend-of-the-court brief.
HERE'S THE LINK.

Top stories of 2007

This is the time of year when we look back at the top stories of the year before it's time to think about what's ahead in '08. Here's the list of nominees from the Associated Press for top worldwide stories. Now the chore is to trim the list down to the top 10. Give it a try!

* Political crisis in Pakistan: Musharraf declares state of emergency

* China's export industry buffeted by cases of tainted toys, toothpaste, other products

* U.S. housing and home-lending sectors battered by slump; stocks volatile

* Wildfires ravage Southern California; hundreds of thousands evacuate homes

* Alberto Gonzales quits as attorney general after string of controversies

* U.S. dollar falls; Canadian currency more valuable for first time in decades

* Anna Nicole Smith dies; fight over her burial and baby ensue

* Severe drought wracks Southeastern states

* Bangladesh devastated by cyclone; more than 3,000 killed

* Bush administration assailed over torture, Guantanamo detentions

* Attempt to forge compromise on illegal immigration collapses in Congress

* Scientists create equivalent of embryonic stem cells from ordinary skin cells

* Intense campaigning in both major parties for 2008 presidential nominations

* Nicolas Sarkozy elected president of France, vows to strengthen ties with U.S.

* Iran spars with international community over its nuclear program

* Afghan war: deadliest year since 2001

* Death penalty under scrutiny as painlessness of lethal injection questioned

* Supreme Court bans a controversial abortion procedure

* Military regime in Myanmar cracks down harshly on protest movement

* Under pressure from critics, Paul Wolfowitz resigns as president of World Bank

* Methane blast kills 110 workers at Russian coal mine

* U.S. troop surge in Iraq takes effect: violence drops but does not halt

* Palestinians feud among themselves heading toward peace talks with Israel

* Russian President Putin signals he intends to maintain power even after term ends

* Tropical Storm Noel kills more than 100 people in Caribbean

* Darfur: Attempts at peace talks falter as violence continues

* President Bush, Democratic-led Congress at odds over health coverage, Iraq, spending

* Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez moves to consolidate power, extend rule

* Oil prices soar worldwide

* Global warming: new warnings from experts, Al Gore wins Nobel Prize for his advocacy

* NASA astronaut accused of trying to kidnap rival for affections of space shuttle pilot

* Duke lacrosse rape case collapses; district attorney ousted in disgrace

* Gunman kills 32 people at Virginia Tech; deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history

* Massive wildfires in southern Greece kill at least 65 people

* Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby convicted in CIA leak case

* Nancy Pelosi elected first female speaker of the House

* Revelations of shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

* CBS fires Don Imus from his radio show for demeaning remarks about Rutgers athletes

* Highway bridge collapses in Minneapolis, killing 13, injuring about 100

* Barry Bonds breaks all-time home run record, then indicted in steroid investigation

* Six miners, three rescue workers die at Utah coal mine

* Earthquake in Peru kills more than 500, wrecks at least 40,000 homes

* Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleads guilty to dogfighting charges

* Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho refuses to quit despite guilty plea in airport vice sting

* FBI investigates role of Blackwater USA security firm in killings of Iraqis

* Plane skids off wet runway, killing 199 in Brazil's worst aviation accident

* Koreas: North moves to scrap nuclear program, signs reconciliation pact with South

CNPA, CFAC join Tracy Press in challenge

This is the first year I've broken away from the newsroom to attend the annual meeting of the California Press Association, a 130-year-old newspaper association. I was determined to go to San Francisco today, to thank those in attendance who have supported us in our lawsuit against the city of Tracy.

If you've followed our stories, you know that the city recently hired a Sacramento attorney to fight the Tracy Press’ lawsuit that seeks e-mails sent in 2006 by Tracy City Councilwoman Suzanne Tucker to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association, California First Amendment Coalition and Associated Press have filed briefs in support of the Tracy Press, as have a dozen newspapers and newspaper companies: San Francisco Bay Guardian, Los Angeles Times, Copley Press, McClatchy Company, Bakersfield Californian, Herburger Publications, Bay Area News Group-East Bay, Sierra Nevada Media Group, The Record, Metro Publishing Inc. and the Riverside Pres-Enterprise.

In their amicus briefs, they state that the lower court’s ruling creates a loophole through which government and elected officials can exchange information outside of the public view.

Last August, the Tracy Press challenged a San Joaquin Superior Court ruling, when the court backed the city’s contention that Tucker could withhold from the public her e-mail exchanges with the lab. On Oct. 18, the Sacramento appeals court ordered the city to explain why the Tracy Press has no right to the e-mails.

Last week, the attorneys for the Tracy Press filed their response with the appeals court. If you'd like a copy of the opening briefs, e-mail me at cherim@tracypress.com. For my blogs on this case, see those labeled Public Access.

Crimes of Grammar

Those of us who work with words for a living — and maybe others? — noticed this misplaced modifier in the program for Monday's Veterans Day program in Tracy. (It was in all-caps, but I'll spare you that.)

"Sergant First Class Valentino Vaughn, U.S. Army unveiling of the name of SFC Tung M. Nguyen, U.S. Army, killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom by the members of the Tracy City Council."

Sergeant is misspelled, but the real crime here is that the members of the Tracy City Council appear to have killed someone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

But no. The City Council members merely unveiled the name on the Tracy War Memorial.

Spelling champs!

Friday's Tracy Unified School District's spelling bee for seventh- through ninth-graders ended p with these four winners, who will go on to the San Joaquin Spelling Bee: Caitlin Dong (left), Hector Sanchez, Upinderpreet Gill and Arashpreet Gill. Photo by Diane Dong

To read my Editor's Notes column about being a judge, go here.

Visitors to newspaper Web sites on increase

I haven't written in my blog but once this month. I've been busy, but maybe I can make it up in November.

Here's a start: Reuters just reported that the number of people visiting U.S. newspaper Web sites rose 3.7 percent during the third quarter, according to an industry group, even as their print editions reported lower advertising sales.

I know that the number of visitors to the Tracy Press site grows every time I check Google Analytics. I just looked at the number of pageviews for the last 30 days, it's up to 402,761.

Something's happening out there!

Journalists on stamps

Postmaster General John E. Potter today previewed images of the stamps that will immortalize five journalists who risked their lives reporting some of the most important events of the 20th Century.

The five "American Journalists" stamps honor Martha Gellhorn, John Hersey, George Polk, Ruben Salazar and Eric Sevareid.

"These distinguished journalists risked their lives to record the events that shaped the modern world," Potter said during his presentation at the 2007 Associated Press Managing Editors meeting in Washington, D.C. "Their body of work stands as a towering monument to the importance of a free press. It is our hope that Americans will use these stamps to honor these outstanding individuals who have served the cause of journalism so well."

Other journalists who have been commemorated on stamps include Edward R. Murrow, Ernie Pyle, Walter Lippman, Henry Luce, Nellie Bly, Ida M. Tarbell, Ethel L. Payne, Margueritte Higgins and publisher Adolph S. Ochs.

Is that the Tracy Press?

Wayne Thallendar, newspaper adviser at Tracy High, took this photo at the season's first football game, with coaches from both Tracy and West high schools.

Update from CNPA

September 14, 2007 Industry supports Tracy Press’ records fight The Tracy Press will file today a writ petition on an adverse Public Records Act ruling that denied it access to records concerning the public’s business solely because the communications were initiated from or received by a private email account. CNPA and many of its members, large and small, are joining an amicus brief in support of the newspaper. To encourage broad support, a special low fee has been established for community newspapers. The Tracy Press sought access to emails between certain counsel members and the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Communications involving one counsel member were sent from and received by her home email account and were withheld. The court held that an email about government business, received by a city council member in her personal email account, is not a public record. The reasoning appears to be that an individual council member is not a "local agency," therefore that person's possession of an email, without more, cannot be ascribed to the full council or to the city. Duffy Carolan and Rochelle Wilcox of Davis Wright Tremaine are writing the industry brief. Because the brief will be filed Monday afternoon, Duffy (415) 276-6585 or duffycarolan@dwt.com or Rochelle (916) 962-0677 or rochellewilcox@dwt.com must receive your commitment to participate no later than noon on Monday, September 17. Please contact General Counsel Tom Newton at (916) 288-6015 for more information about this important effort.