Life in Journalism According to Steve Lundeberg

A newspaper and the newsroom in conjunction with it have a life of their own. The process of putting out the paper isn't just eating up random information and spitting out a paper. Associate editor, Steve Lundeberg, of the Albany Democrat Herald told of how the news process works.

The reporters working at the Democrat Herald make up around a third of the staff in the building. The rest of the building houses advertising, circulation and distribution; not to mention a large portion of the building holds the printing press. A lot of revenue for the paper comes in from advertising. The real estate and auto dealeres provide a lot of the ad income for the Herald. When the economy took a hit, those areas were affected the most and resulted in stricter budgets for the advertisers.
Distribution and circulation are the ones that handle the finished paper. After everything has been put into the system, the papers are printed on the monsterous machine in the back. Albany originally had one press but when the Albany paper and the Corvallis Gazette-Times merged under one parent company (Lee Enterprises), Corvallis's machine was brought over to the Albany office to print both papers more efficeintly. Distribution continues putting the paper together with coupons, ads and inserts. Finally, bundles are counted and separated for each carrier and strapped.
Circulation consists of foot and motor carriers, as well as the Herald's own company drivers. A majority of the carriers will pick up their papers on the dock outside Albany's office. The primary purpose of the company drivers is to fill in for empty routes and deliver carrier bundles who don't come to the dock. Contrary to popular belief, there are more adult and elder carriers than one would imagine.

The internet is a fountain of information. Because of that, it seems a perfect place for a newspaper company to stake a claim. Getting there is another story, however. Lundeberg remarked that the transition to the internet was all but easy in the mid 1990's. The staff at the time were not specifically trained on the process for transferring the printed edition onto a webpage. Copying and pasting wasn't the answer. Today, information is new minute by minute. Putting breaking news online before it becomes just another story is key. While some major companies are making progress in staying up to par, it's an ongoing learning process.

Finally, Lundeberg stressed the importance of community. Working in journalism isn't about putting out random information or news that is interesting to a select few. Lundeberg stated that the Albany Democrat-Herald exists for the community. Without readers, the paper doesn't have a reason to exist. He pointed out that, at times, readers will contact the paper on stories and events they may want to see reported. The Democrat-Herald is community driven.
Lundeberg believes that is why some big city papers have folded or been bought out. Due to the fact that the Herald serves a small community, there will always be a desire by the readers to have a printed version of the paper. Metropolitan style papers produce news that doesn't always pertain to the readers. They lack the intimicy, locality and feel that papers like the Albany Democrat-Herald share with their subscribers.

As you can see, running a newspaper requires a lot of work. Journalism is a 24-hour job. The evening paper you enjoy at home goes through a long process from the first interview to your front porch.

Profile of An Editor

Over the course of their life, many people may wonder if they made the right career choice. Not many of them will put in over thirty years at one field, let alone the same company. For Hasso Hering, that story is different.

Hasso Hering is the editor of the Albany Democrat Herald, the local paper of Albany, Oregon. Hailing, originally from Germany, Hering became a naturalized U.S. citizen and has been in the U.S. since 1963. For just about the entire time he has been with the Albany Democrat-Herald, Hering has held that position. Moving from Ashland, Ore, Hering came to the Albany area in 1977. Within a year of starting on the Herald, he was moved up to Editor.

Starting as early as high school, Hering was involved with journalism, although he didn't know much about the field. An interest in history pulled him away from it for a time but he had found his calling lied with journalism. In 1964, Hering got his real start in journalism working on the Van Nuys News based out of Los Angeles.

Going on to Cal State Northridge, Hering was able to get his bachelor of arts in journalism. Following graduation in 1967, Hering made his way to Ashland, Ore. The winter after the move, a job working at the Ashland Daily Tidings was presented for Hering. Within the next year, he had moved his way up to Editor.

In 1977, Hering made another move further north to Albany. And here he has made his home for the last thirty-three years. Much like his career in Ashland, Hering worked for the DH for just one year before being bumped up to editor.

Hasso has stated that he loves the area that he is in. Working at the Democrat-Herald, he tries to put out a quality paper that the readers will enjoy, focusing on a lot of local events and concerns. He and his wife Kathleen (who is a retired Oregon school administrator) have two grown sons.

When asked about his view of journalism today, as opposed to when he started, Hering stated it's a lot rougher today. In the past, beginners would typically start at a weekly paper then move their way up till they are content with the position and the place they live (just like he is). However, with some smaller news folding and being cut, opportunities are different.
With the exception of radio and television, Hering believes that those fields are much harder to get into than traditional news. With today's technology, one starting their own publication or website is possible but may not prove to be a good living.

For those who want to get into journalism, Hering stated that there are couple key points: You should have a general curiosity of how the world works. You should want to know about local events. The best part of journalism is being able to tell someone's story and call attention to things that are important, so an interest in the community is important. Finally, some good old fashioned smarts can't hurt. Coming from a man that has found success in the same field for over thirty years, those are good points.

(At a Glance: Hasso Hering; Editor of Albany Democrat Herald 32 years; Graduated from California State Northridge 1967; Previous Journalism experience: Van Nuys News (Los Angeles), Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, Ord) editor; Contact at hasso.hering@lee.net)

(Reference: http://www.leg.state.or.us/pcol/biographies.htm Thursday, July 27, 2006 "Public Commission on the Oregon Legislative" Hasso Hering)

3 Things I've learned from Edna

Murder, greed, drugs; Edna Buchanan has covered it all. In her book, "The Corpse Had a Familiar Face," Edna details her life, past and present and her life on the crime beat for the Miami Herald.

Reading Buchanan's book, you get a sense of her passion for her job. She details her life growing up and how she got into journalism in the first place. The things she has seen, the people she has interacted with and the impact her chosen career has had on her personal life show the different sides of the journalism field.

One of the main things I took from her was the idea that everyone mattered. When all you do is write about dead people, it may be possible to become desensitized to it. Buchanan chose to care about the subjects of her stories. While that type of motivation doesn't apply to all beats, the details of the story: the who, what and ever important why, are all important to strive for. A reporter is only as good as their story. They need to have a purpose for their story, a reason for doing what they do.

Buchanan didn't attend college to become a journalist, which seems frustrating that an inexperienced person has been successful in a field that many spend four years in college for. But that goes to show that some people have a natural talent for certain things. It's not just talent that played a role. It's something she wanted to do. She takes her job seriously. Experience may not always be the best substitute for drive and a desire.

Journalism can be a blessing as well as a curse to a reporter's personal life. It's not a nine to five job. Staying on top of everything was tough for Buchanan when she worked for the Herald. Nowadays,everything is breaking news so a reporter has to constantly be working. As a journalist, the opportunity to meet a diverse group of people is there. While you don't have to be a social butterfly, a reporter needs to be some sort of a people person. Interviewing and interacting with the public is a key part of the job. Starting and maintaining good relationships with cops, other journalist, teachers and city members can be one of the best tools a journalist has in their bag.

Starting as an inexperienced writer, Buchanan has shown many important qualities as a journalist and as a writer. Writing with a purpose, loving what you do and developing a network of sources are just three tools that a journalist can have. Some are ingrained while others need to be developed.

Kay Ryan Spreading Culture to LB

Some people may not have heard of Kay Ryan. But those in the Poetry Club know all too well who she is. And they can't wait for her to get here.

During the second week of May, Kay Ryan, who is the National Poet Laureate, will be making stops in Oregon to promote her new book. Among those stops is Linn-Benton Community College. May 12 and 13, Ryan will being holding a Question and Answer session for the local community and the students of LBCC.
Ryan is the United States' sixteenth Poet Laureate. In Autumn of 2008, the title was given to Ryan and May 2010 marks the final month for the title for her. Kay Ryan is an advocate for community colleges. Graduating from Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, Cal, Ryan went on to teach at other community colleges. Along with being an instructor, Ryan has received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2004, one of the most prestigious awards for American poets.

Many of Ryan's poems have appeared in the magazine "Poetry." Critics have compared Ryan's poetry to the likes of Marianne Moore and Emily Dickinson in the way she uses sly wit and off beat wisdom. Poet and critic stated "Ryan reminds us of the suggestive power of poetry–how it elicits and rewards the reader’s intellect...1"

Ryan's newest book, "The Best of it" will be the topic of discussion for the events in May. Along with LB, Ryan will be heading down to Lane Community College to talk about her book. Scheduled for 4 PM, the event on Wednesday May 12 will be a more formal setting. Being held in the Russell Tripp Performance Center, Ryan will be reading from her book. Also, there will be a Q and A and book signing afterward. The event should be about ninety minutes.

The following day, May 13, Kay Ryan will be holding a less formal discussion. Geared more towards students, the event will be held in the Library Reading Room starting promptly at 9:30 AM and going till 11. Coffee and pastries will be given out to those who attend the discussion.

Instructor Robin Havenick will be hosting the events. According to Havenick, a Poet Laureate is someone who "celebrates poetry". They "stand for poetry." An American Lit teacher and the Poetry Club adviser, Havenick was excited about the idea of the nation's Poet Laureate coming to LB. She includes Ryan's works into her lessons. Along with LB's own poet laureate, Amy Earls, and the Poetry Advisory Committee, Havenick put together an invitational package back in December of 2009. In February, the package was sent out to Ryan's agents.

Included in the package was a poem by Amy Earls. Her "poetry is just beautiful..amazing" was Earls' opinion of Ryan's work. Being LB's poet laureate has given Earls a unique connection to Ryan and what she does. Earls stated it's "really neat to have something" like this at LB. "I admire the position of the US Poet Laureate."

At the suggestion of Robin Havenick, any one who wants to attend either event should familiarize themselves with the works of Kay Ryan. Both events are free, open to the public and promise to be fun.

"At a Glance: Kay Ryan- 16th United States Poet Laureate, Author of "The Best of it", "Say Uncle"; Q and A/Book Signing- Lecturing on "The Best of it"; When- Russel Tripp Performance Center May 12 4pm, Library Reading Room May 13 9:30am-11am; Cost- Free, open to public (coffee and pastries available May 13 only)

(Reference 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Ryan#Poetry)