American Society of News Editors
Encyclopedia
The American Society of News Editors (ASNE) is a membership organization for editors
, producers or directors
in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans
or faculty at university journalism schools
, and leaders and faculty of media-related foundations and training organizations. It changed its name from the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 6, 2009.
It will have its 2012 convention April 2-5 in Washington in conjunction with the Newspaper Association of America
.
The organization was founded in 1922. Its members come together to share ideas and maintain relationships primarily through its annual convention. The current president is Ken Paulson
of the First Amendment Center
.
ASNE has several initiatives carried out by its committees. One of those is through its Diversity Committee: the Newsroom Employment Census, which queries every daily newspaper and online news site in the United States to determine the number of news staffers as well as their gender and race.
Another initiative is the ASNE Awards. The Distinguished Writing Awards and Jesse Laventhol Prizes are designed to foster, recognize and reward excellence in writing in daily newspapers, eligible news services and ASNE member publications. The Community Service Photojournalism Award recognizes a body of work that contributes to an improvement or heightened awareness in the community through photography. They are for work in a calendar year and are generally announced in February. Winners receive money and are invited to come to the ASNE convention to discuss their work. Given that the overlap of winners for the ASNE Awards and the Pulitzer Prize correlates very closely, they are said to be second only to the Pulitzers in importance.
ASNE also runs several projects, generally carried out by staff with advice from committees. Projects subject areas have included diversity, credibility and readership. Additional projects have included the Institute for Journalism Excellence, a program for reacquainting educators in journalism school
s with the newsroom
and the International Journalism Exchange, which brings international journalists into U.S. newspapers to share ideas and work experiences.
A major project of ASNE is the High School Journalism Initiative, launched in 2000. Supported by grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the initiative hopes to reinvigorate scholastic journalism and student media
through partnerships between high school
s and daily newspapers and by providing resources to high school journalists like online hosting, a wire service
and the High School National Ad Network, as well as a major educational Web site.
The association runs the national Sunshine Week
initiative promoting the importance of open government.
ASNE's headquarters is at the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia
.
In 1912, Louis Hill, the son of "The Empire Builder" James J. Hill
, was less enamored with running the Great Northern Railway than he was with promoting Glacier National Park and the "American Alps." To that end, the railway built a series of hotels and backcountry houses with a Swiss chalet theme throughout the area. But before they were finished, to build interest he gave newspaper editors of all stripes free group publicity
junket
s to the park, whereupon they wrote some truly scintillating copy (a virtual cool respite in some of the oppressive summers of that decade). During one of those - and there were several - Casper Yost
of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
was joined by editors from Kansas City
; Detroit; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Sioux City, Iowa
; Des Moines, Iowa
; and Saint Joseph, Missouri
. Yost was enraptured both by the stunning beauty of the park and by the fellowship of the editors he met on the trip. It started an idea in his mind of a national newspaper editor's group.
At the time, no editors' organization existed. The American Newspaper Publishers Association (forerunner to the present-day Newspaper Association of America
) had existed for years. Formed in 1886, ANPA was the group that newspapers and their publishers belonged to. ANPA's publications were largely tip sheets on deadbeat advertisers and summaries of the legislation (for good or ill) then pending before or passed by the Congress of the United States. Likewise, the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and Inland Press Association
existed - largely at a regional level - to serve the interests of publishers.
Yost ruminated over the dream of an editor organization for another 10 years - with World War I
intervening - until he was spurred into action by two magazine articles. Published in January 1922 in The Atlantic Monthly
, the articles were by Moorfield Storey
, a well-known political independent and the first president of the NAACP, and Frederick Lewis Allen
, secretary to the Harvard Corporation and creator (and likely first employee) of Harvard's news bureau. Later he became known for his history Only Yesterday. The men laid out arguments criticizing newspapers and calling for changes in them.
The articles were thorough in their criticism and proposals and Yost was just as thoroughly incensed. He saw the need for editors to come together to combat such attacks (ironically, something Allen advocated): "I didn't know a half-a-dozen editors in the United States
at that time. I couldn't name a dozen of them. We were all living a sort of monastic seclusion in our individual offices, and I thought it would be a good thing if we could get together. Why doesn't somebody do that, I thought. Why doesn't somebody take the initiative and start a society? Then it occurred to me with rather a shock, why not do it yourself? So I did."
Once committed, Yost wrote to a few dozen editors soliciting support. The responses were positive and, just a month later, in February 1922, a small meeting was held in Chicago
. Attendees included Yost and editors from Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. They gathered to discuss action they could take for the advancement of the news and editorial side, to develop a constitution and a code of ethics and to launch a recruiting campaign for the group.
As the best way to reach the largest number of potential members, the editors called a meeting in New York
that April, when editors would be joining their publishers and congregating for the annual ANPA meeting (despite no formal mention of them by ANPA in its bulletins). Their efforts were so successful that by October nearly 100 charter members had signed up.
A key question at the time was how ASNE would be different from the existing organizations. ANPA was concerned with publishing issues and legislation; the SNPA and Inland Press were decidedly regional. And membership in all of these organizations was for newspapers - not individuals. The founders decided that ASNE would be an organization of individual editors of big-city papers - limiting membership to editors of newspapers in cities of 100,000 or more. (This became less elitist as the years went by.)
In October 1922, ASNE was launched with directors and officers; they hammered out a code of ethics, named committees and made preparations for the first convention at the New Willard Hotel in Washington
the next April.
That convention was the first for the society; it has been held annually - with the exception of 1945 and 2009 - mostly in Washington.
Since then, every U.S. president has spoken at the organization's convention and it is considered a premier venue for politicians to appear. Notable examples are President Coolidge's Press Under a Free Government speech and President Eisenhower's Chance for Peace speech.
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, producers or directors
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
in charge of journalistic organizations or departments, deans
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
or faculty at university journalism schools
Journalism school
A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. An increasingly used term for a journalism department, school or college is 'J-School'...
, and leaders and faculty of media-related foundations and training organizations. It changed its name from the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 6, 2009.
It will have its 2012 convention April 2-5 in Washington in conjunction with the Newspaper Association of America
Newspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Association of America is a trade association representing approximately 2000 newspapers in the United States and Canada. Member newspapers represented by the NAA include large daily papers, non-daily and small-market publications, as well as digital and multiplatform...
.
The organization was founded in 1922. Its members come together to share ideas and maintain relationships primarily through its annual convention. The current president is Ken Paulson
Ken Paulson
Ken Paulson is the former editor in chief of USA Today. His alma mater is the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.He is the creator and writer of Freedom Sings, a musical presentation celebrating the First Amendment.-External Links:*...
of the First Amendment Center
First Amendment Center
The First Amendment Center is an advocacy group in the United States that works to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education. The Center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of...
.
ASNE has several initiatives carried out by its committees. One of those is through its Diversity Committee: the Newsroom Employment Census, which queries every daily newspaper and online news site in the United States to determine the number of news staffers as well as their gender and race.
Another initiative is the ASNE Awards. The Distinguished Writing Awards and Jesse Laventhol Prizes are designed to foster, recognize and reward excellence in writing in daily newspapers, eligible news services and ASNE member publications. The Community Service Photojournalism Award recognizes a body of work that contributes to an improvement or heightened awareness in the community through photography. They are for work in a calendar year and are generally announced in February. Winners receive money and are invited to come to the ASNE convention to discuss their work. Given that the overlap of winners for the ASNE Awards and the Pulitzer Prize correlates very closely, they are said to be second only to the Pulitzers in importance.
ASNE also runs several projects, generally carried out by staff with advice from committees. Projects subject areas have included diversity, credibility and readership. Additional projects have included the Institute for Journalism Excellence, a program for reacquainting educators in journalism school
Journalism school
A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. An increasingly used term for a journalism department, school or college is 'J-School'...
s with the newsroom
Newsroom
A newsroom is the place where journalists—reporters, editors, and producers, along with other staffers—work to gather news to be published in a newspaper or magazine or broadcast on television, cable or radio...
and the International Journalism Exchange, which brings international journalists into U.S. newspapers to share ideas and work experiences.
A major project of ASNE is the High School Journalism Initiative, launched in 2000. Supported by grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is an American private, non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts....
and the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, the initiative hopes to reinvigorate scholastic journalism and student media
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
through partnerships between high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s and daily newspapers and by providing resources to high school journalists like online hosting, a wire service
Wire Service
Wire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International...
and the High School National Ad Network, as well as a major educational Web site.
The association runs the national Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week
Sunshine Week is a national initiative spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors to educate the public about the importance of open government and the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy. It was established in March of 2005 with funding from the John S. and James L...
initiative promoting the importance of open government.
ASNE's headquarters is at the American Press Institute in Reston, Virginia
Reston, Virginia
Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The population was 58,404, at the 2010 Census and 56,407 at the 2000 census...
.
History
The founding of the organization is a colorful one.In 1912, Louis Hill, the son of "The Empire Builder" James J. Hill
James J. Hill
James Jerome Hill , was a Canadian-American railroad executive. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwest, the northern Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest...
, was less enamored with running the Great Northern Railway than he was with promoting Glacier National Park and the "American Alps." To that end, the railway built a series of hotels and backcountry houses with a Swiss chalet theme throughout the area. But before they were finished, to build interest he gave newspaper editors of all stripes free group publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
junket
Junket
Junket can refer to:*an excursion for the purpose of pleasure at public or company expense *Junket , a dessert made of flavoured, sweetened curds*Junket , a brand name of rennet tablets and dessert mixes...
s to the park, whereupon they wrote some truly scintillating copy (a virtual cool respite in some of the oppressive summers of that decade). During one of those - and there were several - Casper Yost
Casper Yost
Casper Salathiel Yost was the longtime editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, where he started working in 1889. He was the founder of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and was influential in developing its code of ethics. Yost was a prominent member of the St. Louis Civitan Club, serving...
of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri from 1852 until 1986...
was joined by editors from Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
; Detroit; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
; Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
; and Saint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...
. Yost was enraptured both by the stunning beauty of the park and by the fellowship of the editors he met on the trip. It started an idea in his mind of a national newspaper editor's group.
At the time, no editors' organization existed. The American Newspaper Publishers Association (forerunner to the present-day Newspaper Association of America
Newspaper Association of America
The Newspaper Association of America is a trade association representing approximately 2000 newspapers in the United States and Canada. Member newspapers represented by the NAA include large daily papers, non-daily and small-market publications, as well as digital and multiplatform...
) had existed for years. Formed in 1886, ANPA was the group that newspapers and their publishers belonged to. ANPA's publications were largely tip sheets on deadbeat advertisers and summaries of the legislation (for good or ill) then pending before or passed by the Congress of the United States. Likewise, the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and Inland Press Association
Inland Press Association
The Inland Press Association, founded in 1885, is a 125-year-old United States-based not-for-profit organization owned by its member newspapers and operated by a volunteer board. Inland has over 1,200 daily and weekly newspaper members in all 50 states, Canada and Bermuda...
existed - largely at a regional level - to serve the interests of publishers.
Yost ruminated over the dream of an editor organization for another 10 years - with World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
intervening - until he was spurred into action by two magazine articles. Published in January 1922 in The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, the articles were by Moorfield Storey
Moorfield Storey
Moorfield Storey was an American lawyer, publicist, and civil rights leader. According to Storey's biographer, William B...
, a well-known political independent and the first president of the NAACP, and Frederick Lewis Allen
Frederick Lewis Allen
Frederick Lewis Allen was the editor of Harper's Magazine and also notable as an American historian of the first half of the twentieth century. His specialty was writing about what was at the time recent and popular history...
, secretary to the Harvard Corporation and creator (and likely first employee) of Harvard's news bureau. Later he became known for his history Only Yesterday. The men laid out arguments criticizing newspapers and calling for changes in them.
The articles were thorough in their criticism and proposals and Yost was just as thoroughly incensed. He saw the need for editors to come together to combat such attacks (ironically, something Allen advocated): "I didn't know a half-a-dozen editors in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at that time. I couldn't name a dozen of them. We were all living a sort of monastic seclusion in our individual offices, and I thought it would be a good thing if we could get together. Why doesn't somebody do that, I thought. Why doesn't somebody take the initiative and start a society? Then it occurred to me with rather a shock, why not do it yourself? So I did."
Once committed, Yost wrote to a few dozen editors soliciting support. The responses were positive and, just a month later, in February 1922, a small meeting was held in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Attendees included Yost and editors from Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago. They gathered to discuss action they could take for the advancement of the news and editorial side, to develop a constitution and a code of ethics and to launch a recruiting campaign for the group.
As the best way to reach the largest number of potential members, the editors called a meeting in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that April, when editors would be joining their publishers and congregating for the annual ANPA meeting (despite no formal mention of them by ANPA in its bulletins). Their efforts were so successful that by October nearly 100 charter members had signed up.
A key question at the time was how ASNE would be different from the existing organizations. ANPA was concerned with publishing issues and legislation; the SNPA and Inland Press were decidedly regional. And membership in all of these organizations was for newspapers - not individuals. The founders decided that ASNE would be an organization of individual editors of big-city papers - limiting membership to editors of newspapers in cities of 100,000 or more. (This became less elitist as the years went by.)
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
the next April.
That convention was the first for the society; it has been held annually - with the exception of 1945 and 2009 - mostly in Washington.
Since then, every U.S. president has spoken at the organization's convention and it is considered a premier venue for politicians to appear. Notable examples are President Coolidge's Press Under a Free Government speech and President Eisenhower's Chance for Peace speech.