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Newsroom news

The aforementioned newsroom efficiency study is rolling along. Eight younger journalists, 11 days, kind of like an extended reality TV show, without any cooking or exhibit A or Paris Hilton. Their requirement is to produce a proposal for change in newsroom structure, two or three hours a day until the deadline of July 10. There's an open meeting on Tuesday for other newsroommates' input. ( Full post )

Kudos, ad note, muppets

Pretty tame meeting this morning, no deep discussions about anything in particular, but here go a few editor kudos: ( Full post )

It's not skating, and it's not basketball

RE: Reporter Parker Howell's story about the square dance convention coming to Spokane, some staffers recall square dancing in high school gym class - It's also Washington State's official dance. ( Full post )

Overview of newsroom family meeting with Steve Smith

� The economy still sucks, the budget situation is still dismal, stuff is expensive, and other newspapers are worse than here. But the best antidote to news industry doom and gloom is to focus on doing good work, editor Steve Smith said. ( Full post )

Newspack, vintage muppets, notes on a photo, ELVIS

Here are a few slices from this morning... an in related newsroom news, there will be an insider staff meeting today. Some minimal details may be provided on the blog (it's a private staff meeting after all) but we'll know more later.

� New tanker works faster than WWII-era plane: Many editors including sports editor Joe Palmquist will miss seeing the 1946 PBY Tanker 85 from this story.
� Council approves big-box stores
� Fireworks laws vary, but sales are brisk
� Girl from Spokane team racing her way to Beijing: Kudos from editor Steve Smith, who said it's harder in the summertime to publish nice features about young people (because off the school and sports season)
� Doug Clark: One last drive-and-yak day: We'll also be tracking the Web hits for Clark's column as a result of his writing about calling Paris Hilton's cell phone. He didn't reach her. ( Full post )

iSalon: Reader information absorption

At today's iSalon, we got ankle-deep in reader information absorption habits. ( Full post )

Missing crossword clues today, ELVIS, drive-yakking, marmots

What's up with the crossword today? Alien robots - AGAIN. Because of an error by the company that publishes our crossword, today's had the wrong clues. Many apologies to our wordies - Please click here to download (PDF) and breathe a sigh of relief. As for this past weekend, here are some of the thick slices and editor picks. ( Full post )

Amazing technicolor institutional memory

Before the meeting, investigative reporter Bill Morlin walks by wheeling a rolly cart. Bill--Bill--what are you doing, asks assistant managing editor Carla Savalli. He says he's moving files. It takes a cart to do that. He pushes it to the other side of the room. Morlin has a humongotrove of documents and has a reputation for remembering exactly where to find material from years past. ( Full post )

Thin slices, five grand pianos, sprint boat racing

Pretty tame meeting this morning - A series of thin slices today. On an odd note, remember the circumhorizon arc from last year? Watch for another to be published soon, this one also taken by a Plonka. ( Full post )

Short meeting, Victor Borge, thick slices, Plonkavision

When all the senior management is out, at the bureau offices or otherwise, the 10 a.m. meeting is very short. Today's could be a record at 9 minutes 45 seconds. And as a minute-related video, the Minute Waltz comedy routine with Victor Borge and Leonid Hambro: ( Full post )

Gut story advertised but not published

No 'Gut Flush Plan' story today in the Today section, contrary to what it said at the bottom of yesterday's front page. ( Full post )

iSalon: The future of print layout

Orlando Sentinel unveiled a radical design overhaul today for their print newspaper (sample below), which brought up the discussion of a possible redesign of The Spokesman-Review, to prevent the dreaded concept of "get a cardboard sign, stand by the freeway, 'Will report for food.'" ( Full post )

New sign for S-R Radio

Assistant managing editor Carla Savalli just walked by with a giant rolled-up decal/signs for news powered by The Spokesman-Review on 790 KJRB. ( Full post )

George Carlin, dead as a doornail, immortalized on YouTube

The comedian died at what journalists would consider an inconvenient time to die, due to weekend printing press deadlines. Some editions of S-R don't have the news about George Carlin's death - it turns out the page plate was subbed out midway through the printing process, which means some households have the Carlin news on Sunday page A2, and some households do not. ( Full post )

Muppet glee club, keyworded thick slices

Happy Friday, folks, or Happy Happiest Day of the Year according to a Welsh psychologist who devised this formula for an ice cream company. But it's not the day, June 20 - it's this particular Friday of June. S-R radio reporter Dan Mitchinson included this story in his morning newscast. Every year, we media latch onto this "Hey Martha getta loada this" story about the sci-guru Cliff Arnall's happiness formula: ( Full post )

Acronym downsizing, edgy language, slices, etc

The newsroom is eliminating the acronym "ACE," for "assistant city editor" because the title is now "deputy city editor." (There used to be one deputy and two or more assistant, but now they're all DCEs, DeCEs? DICE?) ( Full post )

Placement discussion on child abuse story

For the story, "Mother, boyfriend jailed after girl, 3, hospitalized," editors talked about whether it should be a story on page A1. ( Full post )

Pit bull exhaustion, economic shouting, video

The story of Chewie, Rita and the other six pit bulls seized from a dog-fighting operation has had legs. Perhaps too many, judging from the bad jokes and rolled eyes at this morning's meeting. ( Full post )

Taxes, extortion, sports picks, newsroom news

The sales tax methodology story had a bit of an oxymoron, editor Steve Smith said, pointing out that a coalition was hoping to "streamline and simplify" sales-tax laws. While the new laws apply to businesses, and consumers just pay the taxes without having to think about how they're calculated, editors said the story has little impact on most average citizens. ( Full post )

iSalon: Video, training and ethics

Innovation meeting today was some talk about element mapping, and some notes about video storytelling. Here's what happened today: ( Full post )