The Observer, January 28, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 15
Journalism lecture series kicks off with Plain Dealer editor
When is a newspaper doing its job serving the community? This is the question that Doug Clifton considers each day as he directs the staff of The Plain Dealer.
Clifton, the editor of The Plain Dealer, gave a lunchtime talk Monday about the issues that newspapers are currently facing. The informal lecture, followed by a question and answer session, was part of the annual Susie Gharib Distinguished Lectureship in Journalism series.
Clifton focused on the need of newspapers to serve their communities. He related his struggle to serve Cleveland's citizens by bringing the city's social andeconomic problems to the attention of those who live here. He spoke of his concern for the city that was "built on the grandeur of yesterday" and has seen limited innovation and prosperity in recent years.
As Cleveland's economy has declined, The Plain Dealer has run stories to bring problems to the attention of readers. Clifton related an incident after the newspaper began running a series of articles called "The Quiet Crisis." Readers initially gave positive feedback, but as the series continued readers began to complain to Clifton that he was dragging the city down by focusing on the negatives. This did not stop the series. "I liken the role of the newspaper to the physician who gives you your annual physical," Clifton said. "You want him to tell you when things are good, but you also want him to tell you if something is wrong."
To reach the community, the newspaper needs to keep people interested in the newspaper, Clifton said. Other sources of entertainment and information – the Internet, video games, and 24-hour television news channels – have emerged in the last 20 years compete for people's time, Clifton said, so one approach being used to attract the disappearing young readers is to create more edgy publications specifically for the 18-to-25 age group.
Clifton noted that people are increasingly relying on the Internet to get their news. However, he said, the news that is posted on the Internet comes from newspapers. Internet news sites do not take in enough revenue to support even a small staff of reporters, so they must rely on newspapers and wire services for their news content. "Information doesn't just spring from the heel of Zeus," Clifton joked.
Newspapers are already harnessing technology to reach more readers. Clifton mentioned possible electronic distribution of newspapers through a touchscreen tablet that would give the portability of a paper copy. Currently, electronic replicas of major daily newspapers such as The New York Times and The Boston Globe are distributed in electronic form to subscribers' desktops.
Clifton joined The Plain Dealer in 1999 after leading the Miami Herald to win three Pulitzer Prizes. He was named E & P Editor of the Year in 2003.
The next lecture in the series will be given by Laura Lynch, the European correspondent of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Radio, on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at noon in Clark Hall Room 206.
