The day I was schooled by an advertiser
The day I was schooled by an advertiser By John Foust, Advertising Trainer Over the years, I’ve learned a lot of important lessons from prospects and clients. But there was one prospect who provided me with an advanced degree in selling – with just fifteen words. In my early days…
Are you writing for your customers?
Are you writing for your customers? Published Sept. 9, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Customer service is paramount in business. At newspapers, that means being attentive to details in all aspects of operations from prompt service for advertisers to quick turnaround on news releases to on-time delivery of products.…
Don’t follow the crowd, follow the idea
Don’t follow the crowd, follow the idea By John Foust, Advertising Trainer When advertisers say, “Make my ads stand out,” they’re usually thinking of big headlines and big logos. There are other ways. During my ad agency days, one of my accounts was a fumigant manufacturer. Their products were developed…
Fun with FOIA: Government Agencies and Officials Play Games with Access to Information
Fun with FOIA: Government Agencies and Officials Play Games with Access to Information Published August 2026 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications Recent weeks have seen government entities at all levels—federal, as well as state and local here in South Carolina—taking actions regarding public and…
Don’t forget judicial races in election coverage
Don’t forget judicial races in election coverage Published August 10, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Election season is in full swing. Newsrooms have their hands full navigating coverage. It makes sense to devote resources to those contests with greatest familiarity to your staff and relevance to readers – city…
Understanding the stages of competence
Understanding the stages of competence By John Foust, Advertising Trainer We all discuss information with other people, whether it’s with an advertising client, a prospect or a coworker. And because people have different levels of understanding, it’s easier to get in step with some than with others. According to the…
SC Podcaster Fined for Contempt for Missing Deposition
SC Podcaster Fined for Contempt for Missing Deposition Published July 2026 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications On July 13, Common Pleas Judge R. Keith Kelly ordered journalist and podcaster Mandy Matney to pay a total of $176,500 for her failure to appear at a…
Prepping new staff key to substantive content
Prepping new staff key to substantive content Published July 8, 2026 By Jim Pumarlo, Newspaper Consultant Attractive design in print and digital editions is all-important in today’s fractured media landscape. Attention to specific elements is requisite to create a functional, easy-to-read layout that balances text, images and white space to…
Effective advertising is audience-centered
Effective advertising is audience-centered By John Foust, Advertising Trainer I look at ads from a lot of publications, because there are lessons to be learned from all of them. Recently, I ran across two that were so interesting that I showed them to my wife. For the first ad, I…
Is the Trump Administration Ignoring Laws Protecting the Press?
Is the Trump Administration Ignoring Laws Protecting the Press? Published June 2026 By Eric P. Robinson, USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications On April 8, 1971, individuals protesting the firing of a Stanford University Hospital employee seized and occupied the administrative offices of the hospital, demanding that the employee…