Archive for November, 2008
November 28th, 2008
Most people are not thankful for their newspapers. We know that.
But journalists around the world are thankful for a guy like Tom Gish, who died this month. He owned The Mountain Eagle in rural Whitesburg, Ky., and he stuck to his hard-hitting reporting despite being so hated that in 1974, police paid someone to burn down his place and he still kept on publishing under the slogan “It Still Screams!”
The paper he owned with his wife covered poverty and poor mining practices alongside the small-town staples of birthdays and obituaries.
His son, Ben, is the editor now.
November 26th, 2008
News of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, broke this afternoon. Discussion on Twitter started nearly immediately. These people, not journalists, are aggregating content and posting what they’ve learned. It’s quite amazing to read the discussion. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the information is accurate or credible.
Twitter is one of those free, social-networking sites that allows users to communicate with each other in 140 characters or less. The posts are called “tweets.”
November 26th, 2008
Thursday’s Thanksgiving paper will have 57 inserts — almost 1,000 pages of shopping deals.
Enjoy! And have fun shopping Friday — we’ll be there to talk to you, shoot your picture and take your video.
P.S. If you need last-minute help, here’s a cooking guide roundup. And here are other ideas from earlier this week.
November 24th, 2008
While many of us cook our own birds and dump our own cranberries out of the can, some people have their own tradition: going out to eat for Thanksgiving.
Our list of what’s open and closed around the holiday is here: It goes beyond restaurants to include some stores and clinics.
And if you’re just thinking about trying a new restaurant, find our 2008 reviews from GO here.
Or in case you missed our recipes, here are lower-fat ones and different takes on turkey.
I think Wednesday’s GO will have leftover recipes…
November 22nd, 2008
On Nov. 22, 1963, 45 years ago today, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I wasn’t alive then. But my mother was 6 years old when the media reported three bullets had hit our president and killed him. She remembers her parents glued in front of the TV that evening. Her mother saved all the front pages of the newspapers from that week, and now I have them.
We marked the anniversary of Kennedy’s death with an online package that included a historic gallery of photos and front pages, archive stories and video of with area residents recalling where they were that day. You’ll also find a link to other historical packages we’ve put together.
By the way, the photo above was published in the Rockford Register-Republic on Oct. 26, 1960. Kennedy was in Rockford for a Democratic presidential rally at the Coronado Theatre. He’s heading west on East State Street. You can see the News Tower in the background.
November 21st, 2008
You can now find local wedding, birthday and anniversary announcements much easier on our Web site. We now offer a searchable database of the announcements. Before we posted PDFs of our newspaper pages. The new way is much more user friendly. And, so far, it’s been a hit on rrstar.com. One of the most viewed sections of our site since it launched Thursday.
Oh, and, the people featured can update their information online. For example, you can add information about your bridal party and/or honeymoon.
November 19th, 2008
The Rockford Register Star has set its 2008 goal for the Empty Stocking toy drive for $40,000, and within 10 days, we’ve made it to $19,307.
Each year, we are thankful for the generosity of our readers, who donate usually $5, $10 or $20. The program started in 1975 to make sure every child in Winnebago County signed up to receive one gift for the holidays would receive one. Now, they also receive a pair of mittens, too. (Here is our gallery from the 2007 giveaway.)
Every Tuesday through Saturday, we list those who have donated in the Local&State section. We also maintain a database online, searchable by name, city and dollar amount.
Here’s the kickoff story, in case you missed it. Below is part of the story that had to be cut for space reasons.
It’s been the annual service project for Rockford’s Boy Scout Troop 139 for as many years as scoutmaster Chris Walls can remember.
Every year, about 20 scouts and parents arrive at the toy distribution site, Rockford Rescue Mission’s Hope Place, hours before the event begins to help unload the toys from a truck.
“It’s a tradition for our troop,” Walls said. “It’s something that has a large impact on the community. Christmas is a time to give thanks for the blessings you have. Boy Scouts is all about service. This project has a large impact on the community and seems to be the biggest bang for buck we can get behind and support. It’s a natural fit.”
If you’d like to donate, mail to:
Empty Stocking
c/o AMCORE Bank
P.O. Box 1537
Rockford, IL 61110-0037
November 17th, 2008
I am all about the Web and publishing news online when we have it. But I am a believer in the value of newspapers and would be one of the last people to say they are dead or dying.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch weighs in on the discussion.
“I like the look and feel of newsprint as much as anyone,” he said. “But our real business isn’t printing on dead trees. It’s giving our readers great journalism and great judgment.”
Well put. We have to get you the news on the platform you want it. If you want it on “dead trees,” so be it. If you want it on your mobile device, so be it. We have to get you what you want how you want it when you want it.
Enough said.
November 14th, 2008
If you are a loyal reader of our blogs, you may have noticed in the last week that we were having problems with our blog feed on the rrstar.com home page. We’ve got the feed fixed now and now instead of two blog posts feeding to the home page, we are displaying four. I’ve received positive feedback from our readers and our bloggers.
November 13th, 2008
Chuck Sweeny, author of the Sweeny Report, Register Star journalist since 1984 and someone well-known by just his last name, was promoted from political editor to senior editor Wednesday.
What does that mean?
The senior editor title is a new one at the Register Star, although it is used throughout the newspaper industry to recognize outstanding performance by an individual journalist. … Sweeny will continue to serve as a voting member of the Editorial Board. … Sweeny will continue his column and political reporting and will assume additional roles in mentoring staff and shaping news and editorial approaches.
Congratulations, Chuck.
The photo above is a current one. The photo below is a fun one shot in 1997 for an ad.
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