Leadership seminar

Gannett Leadership Seminar held here

  Sixteen newspaper managers, all relatively new to their positions, gathered in Lincoln, March 9-12 to lean how to be more effective in their chosen profession.

 The 16, who were drawn from the news, advertising or production departments at their newspapers, participated in the Gannett Newspaper Management Seminar funded by the Gannett Newspaper Management Seminar funded by the Gannett Foundation and sponsored locally by the College of Journalism. The theme for the 1991 seminar was “The Local Newspaper and its Community.”

 The three-and-a-half-day seminar offered “an intense experience for new managers in newspapers,” according to Mike Stricklin, College of journalism professor and coordinator for the event. Topics for the hands-on, discussion-oriented, workshops included such titles as the following:

- “Some Ideas About Young Readers.”
- “Desert Storm and the Local Newspaper.”
- “Financing the Operation – Where does the Money come from?”
- “Legal Aspects – Should Your Lawyer Be Your Editor?”
- “Finding and Keeping a Diverse Work Force.”
- “Changing Technologies and Changing Newspapers.”
- “covering a Crisis – the United Crash in Sioux City.”

  Sessions were led by professionals from journalism, law and state agencies. Bill Eddy, city editor of the Lincoln Journal, Dave Beliles, publisher of the Grand Island Independent, Jim Raglin, executive director of the Nebraska Press Association, and Alan Peterson of Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather-Lincoln, were among the local professionals who participated.

  Stricklin said nearly 30 people applied for the 15 positions in this year’s workshop. The majority of the 15 participants came from Nebraska, although the list also included newspaper people from South Dakota, Oregon, Idaho and Kansas. He said the University of Colorado, the University of Kansas and the University of Nebraska take turns holding the annual seminars. This is the sixth seminar held at UNL, Stricklin said.

  Stricklun said that he believes it is “really important to have people from a wide variety of backgrounds working together to serve their communities” through the community newspaper. “Thus, the experience of having editors, advertising people and circulation managers together (for the seminar) is vital,” Stricklin said.

  Will Norton, dean of the college of Journalism, expressed his appreciation to the Gannett Foundation for its sponsorship of the management seminar. “The Gannett Foundation has revitalized its commitment to funding programs on First Amendment issue,” Norton said.