Making NIE Work

By: Mike Peterson It's not hard to find Newspapers in Education (NIE) horror stories. There was the Catholic diocese that called the publishers association in its state, trying to find someone who could stop a newspaper from delivering unordered bundles to a school that had closed the year before. The newspaper was ignoring their pleas and neighbors were complaining about the buildup of "paid circulation" in the parking lot.

There was the circulation manager in another state who ordered his NIE coordinator to place several thousand more copies by month's end, despite her protests that the schools were taking

final exams and the year was over. "I don't care," he said. "I need the numbers."

And in yet another market, there was the artist who wanted to sponsor his daughter's classroom for an NIE project he had worked on, only to be told her principal would not allow the newspaper on school grounds: it had taken him three years to get them to stop dumping unwanted bundles there previously.

NIE is in deep trouble ? not because it won't improve education and build new readers but because, over the past decade, it has become a tool for cynical middle management to make short-term numbers, whatever the effect on the paper's reputation and credibility and whatever the effect on the long-term health of the industry.

It doesn't have to be that way.

I've put a dozen years of my life into NIE, and it wasn't to prop up sagging numbers in a failing enterprise. It was because I like kids, and this is a great way to make their lives better while doing some solid business with the community.

Newspapers are a business that relies upon the loyalty and economic health of the local community. There is no better way to build either than by supporting education.

My past life as a business writer makes me believe in the tortoise, not the hare. I've seen people who don't have the patience for long-term marketing efforts, preferring to make giant strides in a short time. They give great breakfast speeches and they earn a lot of plaques, but most crash and burn, or leave town in a blaze of glory just before the house of cards they've built collapses behind them.

I think it is time for our industry to decide which approach we want: Short-term numbers to prop up a hurting industry, or long-term investment in a medium that can remain vital and prosperous?

If it's the latter, then NIE must get its act together before it falls entirely apart. After all, how many unwanted, unused bundles of newspapers can be scattered around our schools before the businesses who pay for them begin to notice?

And how long will it be until more advertisers ask for a stricter accounting of those amazing numbers NIE programs have been racking up?

They're already asking, and I fear for the program's future. But I welcome the current scrutiny, despite the pain that likely lies ahead for many of us. We've brought it upon ourselves, and, if increased ABC attention causes some papers to drop NIE, that might not be the worst outcome.

I remember when good NIE programs with solid, front-office backing were the norm, not the exception ? back when we were listed at the top of the report, with single-copy and home delivery, and deserved to be. It would neither hurt my feelings nor harm the industry if the exemplary programs that still exist once more became dominant within the NIE community.

And exemplary programs do still exist, and even prosper. While the average NIE program accounts for about 2% of total circulation, there are honest programs that triple that percentage, with papers that go into classrooms where they are wanted and used and read, and valued.

These solid programs have some things in common:

? Program administrators are knowledgeable, well-trained, and respected in their organizations. They cooperate with department heads to reach specific goals, but when the NIE person says a proposal is unrealistic, the idea is modified or dropped.

? They are also respected in the community. They know their teachers and work with them beyond rote delivery of papers.

? They are viewed as experts whose offerings are educator-driven. They find out what the schools want and then approach sponsors for support, rather than selling a young, captive audience to advertisers and providing self-serving promotional material disguised as education.

? In the newsroom, they are seen not as a frivolous add-on but as part of a serious, consistent effort to reach an under-served readership. Their program offerings are not childish diversions but engaging, substantive content that provides a natural stepping stone to lead young readers into the rest of the paper.

Most of all, their newspapers recognize the importance of community loyalty to the health and future of our industry. Good NIE programs build solid numbers and long-term loyalty through a serious, ethical, and well-supported effort.