'Deadbeat Illinois' series to raise the bar

They call it "Deadbeat Illinois," and it's an impressive set of stories ready to run in Illinois newspapers starting Sunday as an offshoot of the AP-APME Broken Budgets initiative.

 

I'llinois simply hasn't been paying its bills, and the state's newspapers and AP have documented the delinquency.

 

The stories will raise eyebrows nationally, and should pound away at a pathetic situation in Illinois government. Here's the budget item for the lead story, which will be sent for use nationally:

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. _ Plagued by budget deficits, the state of Illinois has made it the norm to dump its problems on thousands of businesses, charities and local governments by refusing to pay its bills for weeks or even months at a time. An Associated Press analysis of state records shows Illinois had nearly $1.5 billion in bills that had been sitting around for at least two months as of Sept. 8 because state government lacked the money to pay for office supplies, temp services, drug abuse treatment and even funerals for the indigent. The practice is unusual even among states with equally dire budget situations, disguising the depth of Illinois' financial problems and turning groups into unwilling lenders, without any permanent solution in sight. By Associated Press reporter Christopher Wills.

 

We'll highlight this story on apme.com next week and link to packages from the papers. 

 

Congratuations to the Illinois AP and member papers for raising the bar in Broken Budgets reporting. .

 

-- Bob Heisse

Webinar set on mobile reporting

Mandy Jenkins

Mandy Jenkins, social news editor of The Huffington Post, will lead a NewsTrain webinar in November on mobile reporting and free desktop publishing tools.

The webinar is part of a new NewsTrain webinar series. NewsTrain, APME's successful training program, has offered training to more than 5,000 journalists over its 10-year history.

The webinar will be held on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Eastern. You can register here: http://www.apme.com/events/event_details.asp?id=188822

Call-in information and a link to the webinar will be sent a few days before the event.

Jenkins' session will delve into how journalists can use their phones to report news and what free web tools are out there for stories you're writing from your desktop.

Jenkins has a wealth of experience in mobile reporting. Prior to her role with The Huffington Post, she was the social media editor for Washington, D.C., local news startup TBD and the Cincinnati Enquirer. She has also worked in online news at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and as a newsroom producer for WKSU, an NPR affiliate in Northeast Ohio. 

The webinar costs $9.99 for APME members and $19.99 for non-APME members.

Consider becoming an APME member now to save on these webinars, contest fees and conference registration. Here's the link: http://www.apme.com/?page=Join_Renew

Happenings in New Jersey

With its governor, Chris Christie, often in the headlines, New Jersey is in the spotlight a lot these days.

 

It's in the middle of APME activities, too, and we're all looking forward to NewsTrain Thursday and Friday at Rampano College.

 

Registration continues today. Can you send a journalist for the best low-cost training over two days? It's a great opportunity.

 

http://www.apme.com/events/event_details.asp?id=161231

 

Join NewsTrain on Facebook for updates if you can't attend. You'll get a great sense of what takes place, and perhaps you can attend it in Salt Lake City or another location next year.

 

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12082576060#!/NewsTrain

 

New Jersey also will be the site for an AP editors meeting Oct. 26 in Princeton. The state used to have an active APME group but that went by the wayside in favor of this annual meeting. It will be a great opportunity for editors to connect with the Associated Press and with APME.

 

If your state is having an APME or AP editors meeting, let us know. We'll let everyone know through APME Update.

 

Just contact me at bheisse@centredaily.com.

 

-- Bob Heisse

 

 

Remembering Linda Stowell

Monday has been an incredibly tough day for anyone who knew or worked with Linda Stowell, an Associated Press executive who was based in Philadelphia.

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBIT_STOWELL?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT.

 

She fought long and hard against cancer and touched so many lives. As Philadelphia bureau chief she brought members together with the AP and built a relationship that stands today and is evident in joint Pennsylvania reporting projects that raise the bar.

 

In later years she became regional vice president in charge of AP's newspaper member relationships in the eastern half of the United States. 

 

She was remembered by AP CEO Tom Curley as "a tireless and powerful voice for newspapers and the U.S. news industry."

 

A celebration of Stowell's life will be held later. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Lankenau Medical Center Foundation, Medical Office Building East, Suite 5050, 100 East Lancaster Ave., Wynnewood, PA 19096.

 

Aging America joins Broken Budgets

Baby Boomers are aging in a big way, and our AP-APME national repoting project is out to tell that story from coast to coast.

 

You've already read and published a few of these stories, but many more will come in the reporting initiative called Aging America. They promise to be timely and informative pieces, perfect for you to localize.

 

We've set up an Aging America page on the website and invite you to visit and certainly to look for advisories announcing stories in this initiative.

 

http://www.apme.com/?page=AgingAmerica

 

If you have an idea for an angle or project, contact your state bureau chief.

 

Broken Budgets is still going strong, and Aging America joins it as a themed reporting effort that will enrich papers and broadcast outlets in the coming months and well into 2012.

 

-- Bob Heisse

Previewing the next APME magazine

Stories are coming in for the next APME magazine, which we hope to have to you in November under the leadership of Michael Days of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

We'll wrap up the Denver conference in this issue, along with presenting stories on some APME initiatives such as APME50 and a revamping and merging of the monthly innovation contest with Great Ideas.

 

We'll feature updates from the May through September innovation winners, and stories from winners of the Gannett Foundation Award for Digital Innovation in Watchdog Journalism.

 

The magazine also will include a new feature -- an AP Stylebook quiz. A quiz segment was quite popular in Denver, and we'll now include one in magazines going forward.

 

We'll tell you more as the magzine is put together. 

 

-- Bob Heisse

AP to recognize 'Best of the States'

The Associated Press has begun a "Best of the States" contest to recognize top state news produced by staffers each week.

 

This expands the "Beat of the Week" contest, as explained by Kristin Gazlay, who oversees state news at AP.

 

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/148153/ap-adds-to-its-beat-of-the-week-contest-to-recognize-state-level-news/

 

With the AP-APME Broken Budgets initiative producing great stories around the country, including some massive projects, this appears to be a great move and will set up a healthy competition at the state level.

 

In another great move, AP also will recognize a breaking news staffer of the month, as the release notes. No doubt newspapers and broadcast outlets -- all depending on breaking news -- will join in applauding this staffer's work.   

Check off your gift list and help journalism leaders, too!

Staring Nov. 1, the first ever Associated Press Media Editors online holiday auction takes a bow. A great way to give gifts that help journalism, APME and even help you at tax time, since donations to APME are tax deductible. 

First step: Find groovy items to donate. They could be sporting tickets, vacation getaways, beverage packages, gift certificates, books, editorial cartoons, fan packages, jewelry, news-related items, framed news photos, music, movies, books, almost anything goes.

To donate, send a photo of your item(s), a brief description, value and contact information. We'll take it from there and let you know where to ship it Dec. 2.

And then, you should come and bid on the other items, too. It's fun, it's fast and can fill your wish list.

Your donation or your winning bid goes directly to help this volunteer organization advance the cause of professional journalism for AP-member publications and broadcasters in practical, meaningful ways. The three other 2011 online auctions produced almost $1,800 that went directly to supporting professional journalism leaders. APME and its foundation are nonprofit organizations and your donations are tax-deductible.

Online bidding ends 5 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 1.

Winners will be notified by after the auction has ended and will receive their certificates or items after payment is received.

Thank you to our auction donors and to all our bidders!

For more information, contact APME President Bob Heisse, Auction Co-Chairs Dennis Anderson and Laura Sellers or APME Executive Director Sally Jacobsen

Quad-City Times wins Innovator of the Month for Friday Night Tweets

The Quad-City Times in Davenport, Iowa, is the September winner of APME's Innovator of the Month contest. The paper is honored for its innovative digital work in covering high school football.

APME's Innovator of the Year, now in its fifth year, has expanded in 2011 by naming an innovation of the month.

Here's how the entry submitted by Jan Touney, executive editor, described the newspaper's work:

"Friday Night Tweets is a way for our sports staff to provide immediate information and to interact with high school football fans across a two-state area (Iowa and Illinois) every Friday. Reporters from our paper give frequent updates on the games they are covering via Twitter, reporting any scoring plays and also providing statistics and analysis through the evening.

"We also tap into Twitter updates given by reporters from other papers with all of it being funneled into a Coveritlive blog on our website. An editor in the office monitors the blog, approving comments from readers, updating a scoreboard and occasionally posing poll questions for readers.

"The blog generally begins around 7 p.m., right when most games are starting and extends late into the evening, usually linking to a video panel discussion called "Late Hits,’’ in which our reporters discuss the highlights of the evening.”

For more contact Touney at jtouney@qctimes.com or sports editor Don Doxsie at ddoxsie@qctimes.com.

More on the entry can be found at http://qctimes.com/fnt.

"Lots of newspapers are struggling with how to cover preps when their staff and newshole are shrinking. The Quad-City Times has found a way to provide coverage and reach the target audience through the mediums they are most likely to be reading: Twitter and live chats, said APME judge Kathy Best, managing editor of The Seattle Times.

Applications for the APME monthly innovation recognition are being accepted at http://greatideas.azstarnet.com

Don't miss NewsTrain New Jersey

Where can you get two days of cutting edge training for only $50?

 

There's only one place, and that's at APME's signature training program, NewsTrain. It's making a stop in northern New Jersey next week and journalists in the area shouldn't miss it.

 

Digital media training will be front and center at this NewsTrain.

 

Register this week and get the most training for your money.

 

http://www.apme.com/?page=NJNewsTrain

 

Our next NewsTrain will be held in Salt Lake City in early November.

 

http://www.apme.com/events/event_details.asp?id=177767