APME TARGETING PORK-LADEN EARMARKS WITH TRAINING FOR REPORTERS, REPORTING EFFORT

Partnering with the Sunlight Foundation and other open government groups, APME is offering on-site and Web-based education this spring to help you determine whether the bacon your congressman brings home amounts to good public policy ... or political pork. APME is offering free coaching in 10 cities to help reporters and editors use the latest Web-based research tools to dig deeper into databases. Federal data provided by Taxpayers for Common Sense and Opensecrets.org will illustrate the local connections between earmark appropriations placed in federal spending bills by members of Congress and the campaign contributions made to representatives from individuals, companies and the lobbying firms they employ. Learn more about the "APME Sunlight NewsTrain" initiative and sign up for local training here. Reporters who can't attend one of the in-person sessions can participate through Webinars on April 7 and April 9 from noon to 5 p.m. ET. Space in the on-site training sessions is limited. The first one will be held in two weeks in Wilmington, Del. See full schedule here. The goal is a major national reporting project to be published the first weekend in June.

JOIN THE CHATS AT APME FORUM

Move over, Dear Abby. If you have problems, solutions, ideas or just want to chat, log on to the APME Forum. The forum is a great place to discuss APME matters or to debate and review industry challenges, trends, opportunities or issues. In early posts, a Bremerton, Wash., editor is looking for comments about youth sports sections on Web sites and a North Carolina editor discusses finding the "middle ground" between traditional newspaper readers and news consumers who rely heavily on the Web for information. Take a few minutes to join in these discussions – or start one of your own. In these challenging times, you can turn to your colleagues in the APME for straight talk.

APME TAKES ON MLB'S NEW CREDENTIALS

The Associated Press Managing Editors is expressing "serious concerns" about new terms and conditions for Major League Baseball media credentials, saying they would "handcuff" coverage of the upcoming season by newspapers and other organizations. "Newspaper coverage of MLB is woven into the fabric of American life, with readers across this country daily beginning their days consuming the coverage we provide," APME President David Ledford said in a letter to baseball commissioner Bud Selig. "As society moves deeper into the digital age, newspaper coverage – including work done on our Web sites – must continue to chronicle America's pastime with the same depth and heart that we've displayed since the game's inception." See the letter here.

REGISTER NOW FOR APME CONFERENCE

You can save big money by registering now for the APME Conference Sept. 8-11 in Las Vegas. Significant discounts in registration fees are available for "early bird" registrations (those made by June 1): dues-paying member, $345; non-member, $420; Online editor (accompanying a dues-paying member), $175; Online Editor (accompanying non-member), $210.00. After June 1, registration fees are: dues-paying member, $395; non-member, $470; online editor (accompanying a dues-paying member), $200; online editor (accompanying non-member) $235. Attendees at the 2008 APME annual conference in Las Vegas will effectively get three conventions for the price of one. APME, the Associated Press Photo Managers and the Society for News Design are meeting at the same time and same place and are collaborating for a hands-on, forward-looking program. To register click here.

WHAT'S COOKIN' ON INNOVATION?

The APME's Innovator of the Year contest gives you a chance to show off your innovations, and this year we're making a few changes to make it even better. Innovator of the Year remains open-ended, meaning there are no restrictions on what type of innovative work you enter. It's designed to recognize innovation in print, online management, structure or any other area that demonstrates a bold, creative effort to improve a news or information product and increase audience. This year we're seeking entries in three daily circulation classes – 39,999 and under, 40,000 to 149,999, and over 150,000. The new contest attracted than 40 entries in 2007. Look for details on the new contest soon on the APME Web site and in APME News magazine. If you have questions about the contest, contact Bob Heisse, APME Innovation Committee chairman, at 814 231-4640 or bheisse@centredaily.com.

APME FOCUSES ON CREDIBILITY

The Credibility Committee is developing a roll-out plan for the major APME-Reynolds study summarized at the convention last fall. Tentative plans are to release the report April 8 via a Webinar. Involved are Pam Johnson, executive director of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri; Ken Fleming, director of research; J. "Bart" Bartosek (Palm Beach Post), credibility committee chair; and Poynter Institute faculty Howard Finberg, Interactive Learning Director, and Kelly McBride, Ethics Group Leader. The Webinar will be hosted by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. The committee plans to offer the Webinar twice that day, and promote it heavily. We hope most of you will sign up – and participate! To get involved with the Credibility Committee, contact Bartosek at (561)-820-4133 or jbartosek@pbpost.com.

EDITORS ON THE MOVE

Jerry Ceppos, president of APME in 2000, became dean of the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, in February. Ceppos is a former executive editor of the San Jose Mercury News. As president of APME, he initiated the student conference at the annual APME conference.

   • a. Michelle Holmes has been named editor of the Southtown Star in Tinley Park, Ill.

   • b. Jim Mackey has been named managing editor of the East Liverpool (Ohio) Review.

   • c. Robin McCormick has been named managing editor of the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press.

   • d. Barbara Hough Roda has been named managing editor of the Lancaster (Pa.) Sunday News.

   • e. Tom Skoch has been named editor of Lorain (Ohio) Morning Journal.

Editors looking for the latest industry news should bookmark the APME forum and find the AP Industry News RSS feed in the lower left hand corner.

APME CITES EXTRA EFFORTS TO SHARE NEWS

APME President David Ledford has recognized these broadcast stations with APME Instant Citations to acknowledge their extraordinary efforts to contribute local news to the AP report

   • a. KENS-TV, San Antonio, Texas – Coverage of explosion and fire at an oil refinery on Feb. 18.

   • b. KVIA-TV, El Paso, Texas – Coverage of the death of a well-known and longtime west Texas lawman on Dec. 28, 2007.

   • c. KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, S.D – Coverage of a Sioux Falls telecommunications company's outage and its impact on the highway patrol's central dispatch system on Feb. 11.

   • d. KCCR Radio, Pierre, S.D. – Coverage of a fatal fire on Feb. 18.

News organizations receiving an APME Instant Citation are nominated by their state's AP bureau chief or news editor.

AP HAS THE ANSWERS FOR READERS' QUESTIONS

You can enhance your newspaper's role as a clearinghouse of information by using AP's Q&A initiative called "Ask AP." It's easy: encourage readers to e-mail questions to newsquestions@ap.org and AP will tap its experts to get the answers. This information will appear in periodic installments of the Q&A column, which can be published in the paper and posted online. You can read the most recent column here.

To receive e-mail notification of new APME Updates, write to APME@ap.org