From March 2004 edition of Newspapers & Technology

Avoiding sink-or-swim Training is among the most neglected management functions at small papers today. Instruction at many of those papers consists of a combination of Baptism by fire, sink-or-swim and the school of hard knocks.  Many publishers seem to agree with author Paul Dickson, who said, “Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” Well, most newspaper people are not pigs and training efforts pay off in the long run. The Virginia Press Association, in fact, recently published a top 10 list on why training is more important now, than ever. Denise Williams, director of professional development for VPA, said the list was culled from a variety of sources and considers the obvious benefits, such as boosting morale, emphasizing priorities, developing teamwork and bringing in or saving money. The No. 1 reason? “Training helps maintain and improve quality and productivity,” Williams said. “From the copy desk to the classified sales desk, newspapers are asking members to do more with less.  “Without improved training, that’s almost a guarantee of declining quality. Readers notice declining quality and that leads to declining circulation. And that leads to declining revenue.”   Take advantage of programs Williams suggests that all newspapers should take advantage of training programs offered by press associations and other trade groups. But they also shouldn’t forget individual expertise. “One of the things you can do is bring back a staff member that has gone on to bigger and better things - achieved some measure of success in their career - for instruction and inspiration,” she said. Mining experts among your own staff might also be an option. “For example, if you have an ad designer in your group with exceptional skills, perhaps he or she can conduct a half-day, in-house seminar for other papers in other locations,” Williams said. Another possibility might be enlisting nearby experts among consistent press contest winners in your area. Critiques by recognized and respected masters of the craft can be fun and useful.   Eye partnerships Kevin Slimp, director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology (www.newspaperinstitute.com) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, said newspapers can also create partnerships that might include area J-schools, newspapers and the local press association. “In Tennessee, we’ve set up partnerships with many of the schools of journalism across the state. Basically, they provide space (sometimes labs, most of the time auditoriums) and we provide the training.” Slimp said the joint effort would train some 500 Tennessee newspaper staffers within the next year. In addition, Slimp has created a traveling lab that consists of laptop Macintosh and PC units that can be used to teach “just about anything we want to teach in a lab environment,” he said. The computers and software are funded by the Tennessee Press Association Foundation, the same group that originally funded the Institute of Newspaper Technology. Each year, the Foundation updates the traveling lab with additional computers - assuring that all computers are relatively new and can be distributed on a three-year rotation. But Slimp’s major program is the Institute itself, which draws newspaper designers and publishers from throughout the United States and Canada for intensive training over several days. Software companies that underwrite much of the cost sponsor the program, which Slimp described as “pretty much self-supporting.” The Tennessee Press Service, meanwhile, funds Slimp’s salary.   Best things free And some of the best things in life are free. Industry Web portals and other “free” resources can be tapped for superior training curriculum. Examples include The Freedom Forum’s “Best Practices” books on news organization leadership and newspaper journalism, The Readership Institute’s Galleries, American Press Institute’s Journalist Toolbox, and Poynteronline (www.poynter.org). Trade publications and companion sites are also obvious and inexpensive training assets. Still, you’ll have to make sure your staffers understand the benefits of such extensive resources. It may, for example, be necessary to make assignments that introduce them to the concept. And if none of these suggestions work, you can always go back to Baptism by fire, sink-or-swim, or the school of hard knocks.   Rob Carrigan specializes in prepress systems for weekly newspapers. He is the publisher of the Ute Pass Courier in Woodland Park, the Gold Rush in Cripple Creek and the Extra in Teller County, all ASP Westward LP weeklies in Colorado. He can be reached by e-mail at RCarrigan@aol.com or rcarrigan@ccnewspapers.com.