What if the internet preceded newspapers?

January 29th, 2010, 2:51 pm by Dave

Industry News

We’d rave about newspapers if they were invented today

I can understand why newspapers are not viewed as trendy today. After all, they were really the iPods of 1690.

But humor me, and consider this alternate history: Imagine if Gutenberg had invented a digital modem rather than a printing press, and that for centuries all of our information had come to us online.

Further, imagine if we held a press conference announcing the invention of an intriguing new product called the “newspaper.”

That press conference might go something like this: We’re pleased to announce a new product that will revolutionize the way you access information. It will save you time and money and keep you better informed than ever before.

Just consider the hours you’ve spent on the Internet looking for information of interest to you. We’ve hired specialists who live and work in your hometown to cull information sources and provide a daily report tailored to your community, your friends and your neighbors.

We also know that you sometimes wonder whether you can trust the information you see online. We plan to introduce a painstaking new process called “fact checking” in which we actually verify the information before we pass it along to you.

In addition to saving time online, you’ll also save money. You won’t need those expensive color ink cartridges or reams of paper because information will be printed out for you in full color every day.

You’ll also save money on access charges and those unpleasant fights over who gets time on the computer because this product will be physically delivered to your home at the same time each day, for less than what you would tip the guy from Pizza Hut.

You worry about your kids stumbling across porn on the Internet, but this product is pre-screened and guaranteed suitable for the whole family.

And in a security breakthrough, we guarantee newspapers to be absolutely virus-free, and promise the elimination of those annoying pop-up ads.

It’s also the most portable product in the world, and doesn’t require batteries or electricity. And when the flight attendant tells you to turn off your electronic devices, you can actually turn this on, opening page after page without worrying about interfering with the plane’s radar.

To top it all off, you don’t need a long-term warranty or service protection program. If you’re not happy with this product on any day, we’ll redesign it and bring you a new one the next day.

I can see the headlines now: “Cutting-edge newspapers threaten Google’s survival.”

My point, of course, is that newspapers remain an extraordinary information bargain, and we shouldn’t be selling them short or lose sight of the qualities that make American journalism so critical to our democracy.

When we do our jobs as journalists the right way, when we strive every day to publish reports of integrity and balance, when we ask the tough questions, when we fight to keep the public’s business public and when we provide the kind of thorough and balanced reporting that is the lifeblood of a democracy, we fulfill our promise to that first generation of Americans who believed that one of the best ways to guarantee a democracy was a free and vigorous press.

There are people counting on us.

Ken Paulson is president of the Newseum and the Freedom Forum in Washington, DC
and the former editor of US Today

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Buzzer beater will make you smile.

January 4th, 2010, 2:32 pm by Dave

I love this stuff. Check out this buzzer beater shot in overtime to give the Florida Gators the win. Happy New Year!

Posted in: Headlines • Random Thoughts • You Gotta See This! | 3 Comments »

Drive like Tiger

December 14th, 2009, 12:01 pm by Dave

This whole Tiger Woods scandal may not yet be known had it not been for his bad driving. Had he not driven his Cadillac Escalade into a neighborhood fire hydrant and tree causing the police to arrive on the scene, the events of the past couple of weeks may not have surfaced. Tiger, a bad driver? Say it ain’t so. The metaphorical irony has to make you smile.

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Vote non-incumbent?

November 30th, 2009, 11:56 am by Dave

I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine recently, when he asked for my thoughts on an idea. Like many Californians, he’s upset and frustrated with our elected officials, mostly state and federal politicians, whom are arguably to blame for much of the current financial crisis in California. He feels that while some have “brief moments of independence”, overall they have all bought into the politics and as a result, they are now protecting their pensions rather than the public that put them there.

“I don’t care who you vote for in the upcoming elections”, he said. “Vote Democrat, Republican, whatever and it doesn’t matter to me. You just can’t vote for an incumbent.” He wants to send a message that the performance of these elected officials, as a whole, is unacceptable and there should be consequences for poor results. He’s willing to take a chance on someone, anyone new, who will act with more responsibility and accountability. “Those newly elected will then know, you keep your job if, and only if, you do it well. Just like the rest of us”, he added.

I’m sure some will say, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.” I’m not completely convinced of that. Are you? Let me know your thoughts about this idea.

Posted in: Community • Headlines • Random Thoughts | 3 Comments »

Hiking the Sutter Buttes

November 16th, 2009, 11:44 am by Dave

A couple of friends joined me yesterday on a Sutter Buttes hike organized by the Middle Mountain Foundation. We signed up for the “Summit Ascent” of North Butte, one of their more challenging treks. It was a gorgeous day for hiking and the 1,800+ foot summit with striking views of the valley was a beautiful place to land.

First, if you are local and haven’t hiked the Sutter Buttes, put it on your “bucket list”. It’s a stunning natural resource sitting in our own backyard. I found the experience to be educational, recreational and spiritual. Judging from my fellow hikers’ comments, everyone found it to be fun. I’ll have a whole new perspective when I gaze upon the mountain range while tooling around town. Surprisingly, according to MMF Director, Mike Hubbartt, only 25% of those that join their hikes are local.

Second, I want to give a shout out to the folks at the MMF who make these hiking events available. Not only were the guides friendly and hospitable in making us feel comfortable at all times, most are doing it primarily out of their passion to protect this natural resource by educating the public. They took plenty of time to talk about the history and ecology of the area to provide us with a better understanding and freely answered all of our questions. There are several hikes to choose from depending on your personal interests and your fitness and ability. More information can be found at www.middlemountain.org

I’d love to hear of your Sutter Buttes experiences whether past or in the future.

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How important is the A-D anyway?

November 4th, 2009, 2:39 pm by Dave

So, the A-D did its part last week for “Operation Sellout”, the Sacramento Kings recent initiative to sell out their home opener this past Monday. The effort sold about 200 tickets locally. Not bad for a team that went 17-65 last season. I attended the game and sat in the Yuba-Sutter section Monday evening. At halftime, they marched a dozen or so Sacramento business leaders, including Mayor Kevin Johnson, out to center court to acknowledge their individual effort and influence in selling tickets within the community. These folks went above and beyond normal expectations. Why? Most likely they want to see more fan support so the Kings don’t vanish because they found a city that will support the team with a new excitement and are willing to help build them a new arena in which to play. No question, in my mind, that its a worthwhile cause and losing the Kings would leave a wide entertainment and financial gap.

That got me thinking…do our local business leaders, including the mayors, feel that same urgency toward the A-D? Would they take it upon themselves to roll up their sleeves and contribute to our cause? Would they call on friends and neighbors to subscribe to the A-D to keep it alive and well in our community? Do they think it plays an important and vital role; enough to make an extra effort to help save it from going away?

I’d like to think so, but I fear it would end up more of a “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til its gone” scenario if it were ever to play out. I’m not saying we’re going away any time soon but we do have challenges ahead that may require community support. If and when that situation arises, I hope our community leaders get in the game! Would you?

Posted in: Appeal-Democrat • Community • Newspaper Industry | 3 Comments »

Heads up?

October 8th, 2009, 2:09 pm by Dave

Okay, this is the weirdest story of the year…by far. Former baseball great and hall-of-famer, Ted Williams now lies at Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona, a cryonics company that freezes human remains with the hope that those remains can one day be brought back to life.

A former Alcor employee has written a book in which he alleges that he witnessed several bizarre acts while he was working there. Among them is one in which Ted William’s corpse was mistakenly decapitated. When a freezer malfunctioned, they moved his head into another vessel to lower its temperature again. In order to keep the head upright, they placed it upside down onto a tuna can and added liquid nitrogen . After two or three days, they removed the frozen head but the tuna can was stuck to the top.

At that point, a technician (a term I would use loosely!) grabbed a monkey wrench and took a swing at the can, missed it but hit the head. He then took a second swing hitting the can and sending it sailing across the room.

Alcor, the cryonics company, is denying the allegations. The book’s author is calling for an investigation. As for me, I’m thinking about being cremated when I die.

Posted in: Headlines • Random Thoughts | 2 Comments »

True guardians of the sky

September 21st, 2009, 1:55 pm by Dave

My wife and I had the distinct honor of attending the Air Force Ball at Beale this past Friday evening. A seasoned chaplain was the featured speaker. In his address he mentioned that the men of the Air Force, “Ol’ Blue”, are protecting our skies each and every day; day and night. They monitor everything above us and abroad; they fly reconnaissance missions across enemy lines and they patrol the skies over our nation 24/7. It’s where they excel. So while we’re at work, play or sleep, we can rest assured there are airmen watching over us and protecting us from any threat; foreign or domestic. They maintain air command and are truly our guardians. We really shouldn’t take that for granted. I felt humbled as I listened. I felt proud to be amongst them. Sometimes I forget about the extreme dedication, the important tasks and the danger that fulfills the daily lives of our military troops.. Do you?

Posted in: Community • Random Thoughts | 3 Comments »

Battle at the Ballpark

August 26th, 2009, 9:12 am by Dave

I attended the “Battle at the Ballpark” last Saturday evening. It was ten mixed martial arts bouts at All Seasons RV Stadium. It was certainly a different crowd and different vibe than I experienced at Gold Sox games, but that was expected. Nonetheless, the crowd was well-behaved. Quite frankly, I was impressed with the promoters’ handling of the evening’s activities and how smooth things went for that scale of an event. My hat’s off to all involved and I hope this leads to other non-baseball events like music concerts. The stadium is such a jewel of a location, I hope we can take advantage of it.

Posted in: Community | 2 Comments »

Shop Local FIRST!

August 19th, 2009, 4:10 pm by Dave

The Yuba City Council has approved to match private business funds to help educate and remind area residents of the importance and significance of buying from local merchants. The primary marketing message is “shop local first”. Give local business the first chance to help you get what you want. The money we spend stays where we spend it. We all need to do our part to shop local whenever possible to help maintain the financial health of our community.

We all understand that, from time to time, you may decide to shop elsewhere if the price is significantly less or if you can’t find what you need here close to home. But if you can buy it locally, you will save time, money and ultimately community services and improvements.

For a detailed review of City Council’s decision, here’s the article from the Appeal-Democrat. Let me know your thoughts.

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