[Vision2020] opportunity

Mon, 8 Sep 2003 18:19:48 -0700

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C37635.CD463320
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Bill states that the Daily News has matured and improved of late and I
would like to believe him.  Perhaps there are some who can tell me if
the local news stories have real news in them or are they still a
compilation of he said/she said quotes pretending to be news?  Do the
reporters take the time to find out the facts and report them
accurately, or just report various opinions?  Are the stories written
with some depth, or still shallow and lacking conclusive news?  And
finally, has Vera White been limited to the cooking section where at
least something edible may result?

I find the idea of a round table of local opinion writers interesting
and could possibly consider an application, if I was willing to read the
Daily News.

John

jdanahy@turbonet.com

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Bill London
Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2003 3:13 PM
To: vision2020@moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] opportunity

The Daily News is seeking local editorial writers to enliven its opinion
section.  This is an opportunity to awaken both that part of the paper
and the local residents.  I believe that the Daily News has matured and
improved of late, and this is a great step to making it more relevant.
Please consider applying (more info below in this reprint of Daily News
publisher's column).  BL

------------------

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER: Town criers wanted: Newspaper puts out the
call for your opinions 

Nathan Alford

Opinions are like bad habits. 

We've all got them, or so the adage goes. 

Whether you're visiting with friends over coffee or having dinner with
family, you're expressing opinions every day. These are the opinions
that shape our communities. 

That's what we are looking for at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. We're
seeking out those opinions with the goal of encouraging a dialogue on
the issues that matter the most to you. 

We'd like to invite you to join us in a unique effort to diversify the
voices on our opinion page. It's called Town Crier, a project born from
a late night idea and several cups of coffee with Managing Editor Steve
McClure. 

We're hoping to spawn a board of contributing writers from around the
region. 

In historical terms, town crier refers to an early English method of
conveying news to the general public, which in early centuries had a low
literacy rate. 

Townspeople would gather in the local square or market to the sharp ring
of a bell and hear the town crier read the latest news. It might have
been on the plague or the kingdom's victories abroad. It was a talking
newspaper of sorts. 

We borrowed the historical name and notion of a community voice speaking
out in a public forum. 

Here's the concept: 

We'd like to invite eight to 12 individuals from throughout Latah and
Whitman counties to contribute a column on a rotating weekly basis.
Board members will take turns writing for Wednesday's opinion page. 

It's not for the faint of heart. Passion for your community is a
requirement. 

The pay is lousy. We can offer community recognition, the opportunity to
shape local debate and the experience of sharing your words in print. 

There's a bit of a commitment up front. 

We're asking you to submit an informal cover letter telling us a bit
about who you are, what you do, and what you foresee adding to the
community discussion. We also ask that you work up a minimum of two
sample columns of 700 words or less. 

That's it. 

Send your submission via e-mail to myself at alford@dnews.com, or mail
your information to the Daily News, Town Crier, P.O. Box 8187, Moscow,
ID 83843. All submissions must be received by Oct. 1. 

We'll take a look at the submissions and come up with a cross section of
voices that will represent our communities on a broad range of topics.
After that we'll grab a mug shot of each contributing writer and turn
you loose with a writing schedule. 

It's a relatively small investment of time. You'll have the opportunity
to write four columns a year. That's 700 words every three or so months.
Each writer will be expected to contribute for a two-year period. 

Remember, the subject matter is up to you. You'll have the freedom to
take on all local and regional issues. It's all fair game within
traditional journalistic limits. 

We'll also hold an annual award ceremony for the most heralded
contributing writer. 

The Daily News editorial board will select a best-of-the-best
contributing writer who will receive the Town Crier's "Golden Bell"
award recognizing the writings of an individual that rang out with
particular clarity and strength. 

We guarantee a fun, unique experience. Take the initiative and give it a
try. If you have a friend who you think would be perfect, give them a
push. 

A community newspaper should make it easier for all of us to
communicate. We hope you'll join us and take the opportunity to ring the
bell for open discussion. 

Nathan Alford is editor and publisher of the Daily News. Column ideas
are appreciated. He can be reached by phone at (208) 882-5561, ext. 247,
or by e-mail at alford@dnews.com. 

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C37635.CD463320
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="US-ASCII"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<html>

<head>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">

<meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)">

<style>
<!--
 /* Font Definitions */
 @font-face
	{font-family:Tahoma;
	panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
 /* Style Definitions */
 p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
	{margin:0in;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h2
	{margin-right:0in;
	margin-left:0in;
	font-size:18.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";
	font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
	{color:blue;
	text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
	{color:purple;
	text-decoration:underline;}
p
	{margin-right:0in;
	margin-left:0in;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";}
address
	{margin:0in;
	margin-bottom:.0001pt;
	font-size:12.0pt;
	font-family:"Times New Roman";
	font-style:italic;}
span.EmailStyle19
	{font-family:Arial;
	color:blue;
	font-weight:normal;
	font-style:normal;
	text-decoration:none none;}
@page Section1
	{size:8.5in 11.0in;
	margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
	{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>

</head>

<body bgcolor=3Dwhite lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple>

<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Bill states that the =
</span></font><font
 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Daily News</span></font><font
color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:blue'> =
has matured
and improved of late and I would like to believe him.&nbsp; Perhaps =
there are
some who can tell me if the local news stories have real news in them or =
are
they still a compilation of he said/she said quotes pretending to be
news?&nbsp; Do the reporters take the time to find out the facts and =
report
them accurately, or just report various opinions?&nbsp; Are the stories =
written
with some depth, or still shallow and lacking conclusive news?&nbsp; And
finally, has Vera White been limited to the cooking section where at =
least
something edible may result?</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>I find the idea of a round table of =
local
opinion writers interesting and could possibly consider an application, =
if I
was willing to read the </span></font><font color=3Dblue =
face=3DArial><span
 style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Daily News</span></font><font =
color=3Dblue
face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-family:Arial;color:blue'>.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>John</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'><a =
href=3D"mailto:jdanahy@turbonet.com">jdanahy@turbonet.com</a></span></fon=
t></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblue face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DTahoma><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original =
Message-----<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> =
vision2020-admin@moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com] <b><span =
style=3D'font-weight:bold'>On
Behalf Of </span></b>Bill London<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Sunday, September =
07, 2003
3:13 PM<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> =
vision2020@moscow.com<br>
<b><span style=3D'font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] =
opportunity</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D3 =
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<div>

<h2 style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=3D3 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>The Daily News is seeking local editorial =
writers to
enliven its opinion section.&nbsp; This is an opportunity to awaken both =
that
part of the paper and the local residents.&nbsp; I believe that the =
Daily News
has matured and improved of late, and this is a great step to making it =
more
relevant.&nbsp; Please consider applying (more info below in this =
reprint of
Daily News publisher's column).&nbsp; BL</span></font></b></h2>

<div>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

</div>

<h2 style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=3D5 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
18.0pt;font-family:Arial'>------------------</span></font></b></h2>

<h2 style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><b><font size=3D5 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
18.0pt;font-family:Arial'>LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER: Town criers wanted:
Newspaper puts out the call for your opinions </span></font></b></h2>

<p class=3DMsoNormal style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 =
face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<address style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><i><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Nathan =
Alford</span></font></i></address>

Opinions are like bad habits.

We've all got them, or so the adage goes. =

Whether you're visiting with friends over =
coffee or
having dinner with family, you're expressing opinions every day. These =
are the
opinions that shape our communities.

That's what we are looking for at the =
Moscow-Pullman
Daily News. We're seeking out those opinions with the goal of =
encouraging a
dialogue on the issues that matter the most to you.

We'd like to invite you to join us in a unique =
effort
to diversify the voices on our opinion page. It's called Town Crier, a =
project
born from a late night idea and several cups of coffee with Managing =
Editor
Steve McClure.

We're hoping to spawn a board of contributing =
writers
from around the region.

In historical terms, town crier refers to an =
early
English method of conveying news to the general public, which in early
centuries had a low literacy rate.

Townspeople would gather in the local square =
or
market to the sharp ring of a bell and hear the town crier read the =
latest
news. It might have been on the plague or the kingdom's victories =
abroad. It
was a talking newspaper of sorts.

We borrowed the historical name and notion of =
a
community voice speaking out in a public forum.

<p style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Here's the concept: </span></font></p>

We'd like to invite eight to 12 individuals =
from
throughout Latah and Whitman counties to contribute a column on a =
rotating
weekly basis. Board members will take turns writing for Wednesday's =
opinion
page.

It's not for the faint of heart. Passion for =
your
community is a requirement.

The pay is lousy. We can offer community =
recognition,
the opportunity to shape local debate and the experience of sharing your =
words
in print.

There's a bit of a commitment up front. =

We're asking you to submit an informal cover =
letter
telling us a bit about who you are, what you do, and what you foresee =
adding to
the community discussion. We also ask that you work up a minimum of two =
sample
columns of 700 words or less.

<p style=3D'margin-left:.5in'><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>That's it. </span></font></p>

Send your submission via e-mail to myself at
alford@dnews.com, or mail your information to the Daily News, Town =
Crier, P.O.
Box 8187, Moscow, ID 83843. All submissions must be received by Oct. 1. =

We'll take a look at the submissions and come =
up with
a cross section of voices that will represent our communities on a broad =
range
of topics. After that we'll grab a mug shot of each contributing writer =
and
turn you loose with a writing schedule.

It's a relatively small investment of time. =
You'll
have the opportunity to write four columns a year. That's 700 words =
every three
or so months. Each writer will be expected to contribute for a two-year =
period.

Remember, the subject matter is up to you. =
You'll
have the freedom to take on all local and regional issues. It's all fair =
game
within traditional journalistic limits.

We'll also hold an annual award ceremony for =
the most
heralded contributing writer.

The Daily News editorial board will select a
best-of-the-best contributing writer who will receive the Town Crier's
&quot;Golden Bell&quot; award recognizing the writings of an individual =
that
rang out with particular clarity and strength.

We guarantee a fun, unique experience. Take =
the
initiative and give it a try. If you have a friend who you think would =
be
perfect, give them a push.

A community newspaper should make it easier =
for all
of us to communicate. We hope you'll join us and take the opportunity to =
ring
the bell for open discussion.

Nathan Alford is editor and publisher of the =
Daily
News. Column ideas are appreciated. He can be reached by phone at (208)
882-5561, ext. 247, or by e-mail at alford@dnews.com.

</div>

</div>

</body>

</html>

------=_NextPart_000_000B_01C37635.CD463320--