The History and Innerworkings of Local Newspapers

The Burlingame Historical Society drew a good crowd to its quarterly meeting especially considering it was right before the Super Bowl.  This quarter's topic was the How the News is Made with guest speaker Jon Mays from the Daily Journal.  Society president Jennifer Pfaff provided an overview of the various early newspapers that existed in the area before Jon spent almost an hour on the innerworkings of the news business.  I had already watched local podcaster Mark Lucchesi's episode with Jon that you can find on YouTube here.

There was some overlap between the two presentations so the podcast will give you some of what you missed by not being at the meeting.  I'll just add three observations.  Jon described how the business model has changed, mostly for the worse, because of the changing advertising and classified ad business.  The subsequent reduction in staffing levels precludes covering events like the local crab feed the way they were done back in the day.  In a sense, that is what I am doing as a citizen journalist with this post.  Noting something that wouldn't otherwise be covered.

Jon also described a recent instance of the Law of Unintended Consequences when he noted the impact of AB5 (the controversial gig worker bill) on his delivery team.  The people who deliver local newspapers don't just deliver one paper; they deliver most--maybe all-- of the papers in the area simultaneously.  My SF Comical comes bundled with my Wall Street Journal everyday which I find amusing.  AB5 disrupts the ability of the drivers to work four jobs at once--literally at once as they make their rounds.  Jon noted that the forces behind AB5 don't understand his business.  That's an understatement since I don't think they understand many businesses at all.

Lastly, Jon described the student journalist program that the DJ operates after school with a kid from each of the local high schools.  This is the classic internship model with hands-on-overseen by professionals work experience.  It's good stuff and has been the origin of a few careers in the news business.  As the grandson of a newspaper editor, Jon gets it naturally.  Notice the Advance Star office on the screen.

Comments

[Joe]

Here is a great example of the nonsense Jon Mays has to deal with in publishing a newspaper. From his column yesterday:

Some readers took issue with the photo we selected of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein for our print story about her deciding not to run for reelection. It shows her smiling and talking to reporters on the day of the announcement. Some readers said it was unflattering and that we should have used a different photo, perhaps of her younger. The photo shows her doing her job on the day of the announcement, and she happens to be 89. There should be no shame in depicting someone at their current age, especially a woman. If President Joe Biden were to announce he was not running for reelection, we would also run a photo from the day of the announcement. No one would ever ask us to run a photo of him when he was younger.
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People are actually complaining about the news being reported and shown accurately! And the editor feels the need to defend that call. The DiFi photo on the front page caught my eye as well. People were surprised by it because they have been kept in the protective dark by virtually all of the press. The SF Chronicle, to its credit, did run one long piece about a year ago on DiFi's failing faculties. Then the topic disappeared. Just this week there was a report that she was overheard leaving Senate chambers and asking her chief of staff if she had voted "yes" moments before.

You have to feel sorry for Mays some days.

[Barking Dog]

Thanks for the introduction to Mr. Lucchesi's podcast. Wife and I enjoyed it on our little road trip last weekend.

[Joe]

You are welcome, Barking Dog. Mark at the Mic has a BIG SURPRISE up his sleeve (and in the can) so stay tuned over the next week or two!!!! When I say BIG, I mean BIG!!