S.C. media and First Amendment advocates must remain vigilant as new ‘hurricane’ brews in Florida

S.C. media and First Amendment advocates must remain vigilant as new 'hurricane' brews in Florida Published March 2023 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications In 2022, Hurricane Ian barreled across Florida, causing widespread damage and becoming the deadliest hurricane to strike Florida since 1935. Ian...

WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT MAN LIE?

WHY WOULD AN INNOCENT MAN LIE? Published March 2023Editor's Note: Member editors can pick this column up and run it in print and online as they see fit. By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender Why would an innocent man lie to police about the last time he saw his wife and...

If it’s 10:08, it must be a watch ad

If it’s 10:08, it must be a watch ad By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”That’s certainly true in advertising. Consider the nuances of photography. For example, the next time you...

Editor ‘can handle mean,’ but can’t stand ‘baseless cynicism and unwillingness to think’

INTO THE ISSUES Editor ‘can handle mean,’ but can’t stand ‘baseless cynicism and unwillingness to think’ Published Feb. 21, 2023 By Al Cross This month’s column is mainly from someone else, because it illustrates a serious problem facing rural newspapers: How do they manage increasingly contentious public discourse and still...

What are they selling?

What are they selling? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Greensboro, NCMy wife and I once visited with Rick and Karen, a couple who had served as missionaries overseas. As part of their work to get involved in the community, Rick was assigned to teach a class at a local school....

Prime time to take inventory of your newsmakers

Prime time to take inventory of your newsmakers Published February 2, 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Here’s a periodic action item for every newspaper: The exercise can be quite revealing in evaluating how you are connecting with various audiences. It is even more important in today’s fractured media landscape...

The power of enthusiasm

The power of enthusiasm By John Foust, Advertising Trainer There’s a story about a professor of literature at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As he approached retirement, someone from the newspaper interviewed him. During the course of their conversation, the reporter asked the wise old professor about...

Billy Holland: Living for a purpose

Living on Purpose: They hear His voice, and follow Him Dr. William Holland 1/19/23By Dr. William Holland Life is changing all around us. With technology providing an opportunity for every person on the planet to speak and listen, we are surrounded by so many opinions about everything, it’s becoming more difficult...

Resolve to be accessible, stay relevant

Resolve to be accessible, stay relevant Published Jan. 2023 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Surviving in today’s fractured media landscape depends on your ability to identify, collect and deliver the relevant community news. That job becomes more challenging if readers become frustrated in their attempts to connect with reporters. The...

Suing the Media for Revenge and Profit

Suing the Media for Revenge and Profit Published Jan. 2023 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications In his new bestselling book and slew of media interviews promoting it, Prince Harry rails against the British media and their alleged collaborators within the British Monarchy, blaming them...

We’ve got some explaining to do

We’ve got some explaining to do By John Foust, Advertising Trainer People usually say “no” to things they don’t understand. It’s a salesperson’s job to help prospects understand what he or she is selling. What makes media choice A better than choice B? What’s all this talk about target audiences...

Advertising’s Bill of Rights

Advertising’s Bill of Rights By John Foust, Advertising Trainer In the advertising business, there are things which must be done in order to create an effective campaign. Think of it as Advertising’s Bill of Rights: Send the right message…to the right audience…in the right medium…at the right time…about the right...

Oboes and leadership

Oboes and leadership By John Foust, Advertising Trainer If you’ve been to a symphony concert, you’ve witnessed the cacophony of sound before the concert begins. Every instrument seems to be in its own world, independently running through the musical scale.Actually, this is a traditional and deliberate process to tune all...

Libel without a name?

Libel without a name? Published October 2022 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications A parent’s apparently false allegation at a public November school board meeting that an administrator in Richland County School District Two had strip searched his daughter led to a defamation lawsuit against...

Say it and do it, or renegotiate

Say it and do it, or renegotiate By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Joanne is an ad manager with a common-sense approach to managing her team and their goals. She believes in communication – not micro-management – but real communication on how things are going.“For years,” she told me, “I often...

The Royals and the Press

The Royals and the Press Published September 2022 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications The death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II after a reign of more than 70 years has prompted a cascade of retrospectives and reminiscences of the major events and changes of the...

The power of being specific

The power of being specific By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar used to ask, “Are you a meaningful specific or a wandering generality?” He related his comment to a number of areas: long and short-term goal setting, day-to-day activities, and dealings with family members, coworkers...

Trial Gag Orders Are No Laughing Matter

Trial gag orders are no laughing matter Published August 2022 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications South Carolina Circuit Judge Clifton Newman was praised (here and here, for example) in early August when he rejected requests for gag orders from both the prosecution and the...

Plan now to recognize first responders

Plan now to recognize first responders Published August 9, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Are you looking for a project that can energize your news staffs, generate new advertising revenue and underscore the value of a local newspaper to potential new subscribers?Mark Oct. 28: National First Responders Day.Full disclosure...

Tell them why – and sell more

Tell them why – and sell more By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Like some other kids, I learned how to drive before taking the drivers’ education class in high school. My father took me to the school’s football stadium on weekends when the expansive parking lot was empty. The car...

A key question: What’s next?

A key question: What’s next? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Gregory talked to me about a lesson he learned in his early days of selling advertising. “In one of my first presentations, the prospect rejected my ideas for a new campaign. Back at the office, my ad manager must have...

South Carolina needs a good SLAPP law

South Carolina needs a good SLAPP law Published June 2022 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications In late May, the Judiciary Committee of the North Carolina State Assembly approved a legislative bill, which would allow for early dismissal of lawsuits making libel or other claims...

Post and Courier advances digital subscriptions business with sports newsletters, in partnership with GNI

Post and Courier advances digital subscriptions business with sports newsletters, in partnership with GNI Published June 2022The Post and Courier and Google News Initiative (GNI) published a case study highlighting the impact of new paid newsletters to the paper’s digital subscription business. In partnership with the GNI, The Post and...

Two advertising goals: Attention and Retention

Two advertising goals: Attention and Retention By John Foust, Advertising Trainer As mentioned in previous articles, there are two types of advertising: image and response. Image advertising – sometimes known as institutional advertising – is designed to give people a good impression of the advertiser. (“We’re the dealership that cares.”)...

A good idea is worth the wait

A good idea is worth the wait By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When I was a kid and jumped to conclusions about something, my father often said, “Hold your horses, son.” That’s an old saying that means, “Whoa! Stop and think carefully before making a decision.” Dad had a lot...

The importance of proofreading

The importance of proofreading By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Proofreading is one of the most important skills in the advertising world. While anybody with a sense of humor can appreciate a harmless blooper (one of my favorites is the sign that read, “Ears pierced while you wait”), no advertiser wants...

Advertising’s blast from the past

Advertising’s blast from the past By John Foust, Advertising Trainer In order to look ahead to a new advertising idea, sometimes it helps to take a look at the past. When an advertiser has been in business for a number of years, there are plenty of possibilities.Let’s take a look...

Examine, evaluate reporting shortcuts

Examine, evaluate reporting shortcuts Published Feb. 9, 2022 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant I fondly characterize newsrooms as organized chaos. I witnessed that firsthand guiding staffs when resources were plentiful and community newspapers had captive audiences.Dynamics are even more frayed in today’s changing media landscape as editors grapple with diminished...

Into the issues

INTO THE ISSUES AP lets non-member weeklies republish its investigative story about 2020 election fraud Published Jan. 10, 2022 By Al Cross Almost a year ago, this column urged community newspapers to tell their readers the truth about the 2020 presidential election — that it was fairly held — to...

Would you mind showing me around?

Would you mind showing me around? By John Foust, Advertising Trainer One of the most important questions you can ask an advertising client is, “Would you mind showing me around?”Think about it. When you have a conversation in a client’s office, you get a filtered version of that person’s business....

Meaningful meeting reports demand substantive leads

Meaningful meeting reports demand substantive leads Published Nov. 23, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Newspapers smartly are promoting their roles as government watchdogs to reinforce their strengths in the fractured media landscape. I join the chorus: Vibrant coverage of public affairs is at the foundation of vibrant communities. The...

Supreme Court Declines Chance to Clarify Right to Record Police

Supreme Court Declines Chance to Clarify Right to Record Police Published Nov. 2021 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications On Nov. 1 the U.S. Supreme Court declined to accept for review a decision by the federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver holding that...

Don’t let shortcuts thwart quality content

Don’t let shortcuts thwart quality content Published Nov. 2, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Many newsrooms, already strained by lean staffs, have seen resources exacerbated by the economic toll of the coronavirus. Circumstances have prompted editors and reporters to take shortcuts in gathering and publishing the everyday churn of...

Cut down on exclamation marks

Cut down on exclamation marks By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Lately I have noticed a disturbing trend in print and online advertising: the overuse of exclamation marks. They’re all over the place. Interestingly, no grammar book I have ever seen has suggested using more exclamation marks – or exclamation points...

SOS for South Carolina’s FOIA

SOS for South Carolina’s FOIA Published Sept. 2021 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications In the past several weeks and months we have seen numerous examples of local and state government boards and agencies refusing to comply with South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act. These...

The advertising sales cycle

The advertising sales cycle By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Let’s take a look at the sales cycle. For our purposes, the focus is on advertising media sales, but this concept can apply to any business. Although the cycle has a beginning and an end, the end leads to a new...

Are you telling your own stories?

Are you telling your own stories? Published Aug. 30, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant I circulated a column celebrating community newspapers earlier this year in recognition of Sunshine Week. Its publication prompted a few comments.One reader, who hailed from a Minneapolis suburb, read the column in his local paper....

Into the Issues (Aug. 2021)

INTO THE ISSUES Editorials provide leadership needed in pandemic Published Aug. 11, 2021 By Al Cross Editorials are falling from favor at many American newspapers, for various reasons, including a desire not to upset and chase away readers, especially when it comes to our increasingly tribal and polarized politics.Unfortunately, many...

Lessons from a failed advertiser

Lessons from a failed advertiser By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I remember talking to Clark about his early days in advertising. When he started his then-small marketing business, one of his first clients was a fast-food establishment that needed help with an introductory campaign. Although the store manager knew almost...

Government Accessing Electronic Communications to Identify Sources: It Can Happen to You

Government Accessing Electronic Communications to Identify Sources: It Can Happen to You Published June 2021 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications  The revelations that the U.S. Justice Department secretly sought information on reporters’ e-mail, phone and other communications has sent shock waves through media and...

Sharpen your editing with these press releases

Sharpen your editing with these press releases Published June 14, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant The hyper partisanship in today’s political landscape was on full display with passage of the American Rescue Plan. It passed on a straight party-line vote.A Minnesota congressman joined in the chorus of his fellow...

A salute to those who wave the editorial banner

A salute to those who wave the editorial banner Published April 14, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Last summer’s Grassroots Editor still sits in my stack of journalism publications. The edition announced the Golden Quill winners in annual competition sponsored by the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors.I have...

Attack of the morale-killing bosses

Attack of the morale-killing bosses By John Foust, Advertising Trainer In my advertising and training career, I’ve observed – and heard about – a lot of boss-employee encounters. Some have been good, some have been bad.All have been instructive. In many cases, we can learn as much from the negative...

WELCOME TO SWAMPTON: A FICTIONAL HUMOR COLUMN

WELCOME TO SWAMPTON: A FICTIONAL HUMOR COLUMN Dear Mr. President Michael DeWitt, Jr. Posted March 24, 2021By Michael DeWitt, Jr.Welcome to Swampton, S.C., population 2,168, unless it’s Saturday night and we all “ride off” to the Fairdale Walmart so Momma can get her hair done for church tomorrow.   Weather ForecastThe...

Advertisers’ blind spots

Advertisers’ blind spots By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When we learned how to drive, we heard about blind spots. Those are the areas which are not visible in our rear and side view mirrors. As a result, we have to be extra careful when we change lanes. The term “blind...

New Administration Means Changes on Press Issues

New Administration Means Changes on Press Issues Published Feb. 2021 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Any change in presidential administrations, especially when it involves a change of party affiliation, means changes in a lot of federal government personnel, stances on issues and policy changes....

Initiate conversations with your readers

Initiate conversations with your readers Published February 17, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant A reader questions your policy for reporting suicides. A retailer challenges your staff to produce timely and relevant business news.  A reporter is confronted for printing a press release charging a candidate with unfair campaign practices...

2nd Acquittal

Stuart Neiman Cartoon: 2nd Acquittal Posted February 17, 2021By Stuart Neiman This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is for use in SCPA member publications. Please use appropriate bylines and credit line

The Readers Speak

The Readers Speak Published February 2021 By SCPA Attorney Jay Bender From the earliest days newspapers in this country have published letters from readers.  A survey of early American newspapers reveals that a large portion of the content came from the letters of “correspondents.”The tradition of publishing letters to the...

What makes a good headline?

What makes a good headline? Published Feb. 8, 2021 By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Imagine the editors of a prestigious news organization sitting around a conference table discussing a breaking story. The story is written and all they need is a headline to convey its importance to readers. Someone says,...

Make public affairs coverage relevant and timely

Make public affairs coverage relevant and timely Published Jan. 21, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant How many newsrooms have received complaints about coverage of local public affairs – specifically meetings? It might be the city council, school board, county board or one of the numerous other government bodies under...

12 ad copy tips

12 ad copy tips By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Once an ad’s graphic design attracts readers’ eyes, it has to say something of value. Otherwise, readers will skip the ad and miss the message completely. Here are a dozen copywriting tips to gain and hold attention:Don’t try to appeal to...

Don’t close books just yet on 2020 elections

Don’t close books just yet on 2020 elections Published January 5, 2021 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Mention election coverage in the aftermath of this year’s tumultuous presidential contest, and many newsrooms will likely turn a collective deaf ear. For most editors and reporters, the next cycle of elections is...

12 ad design tips

12 ad design tips By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Want to get more eyes on your ads? Let’s take a quick look at some ad design tips:Keep things simple and uncluttered. The four basic elements of a print ad are (1) headline, (2) illustrative element, (3) body copy and (4)...

A different kind of question

A different kind of question By John Foust, Advertising Trainer One of the basics of selling is to get the right kind of information from prospects. There is a big focus on asking about prospects’ goals, target audiences, marketing budgets and previous campaign results. That’s how we put ourselves in...