Outgoing ASNE President Hall Reveals Anger at Naysayers

By: Joe Strupp Outgoing American Society of News Editors President Charlotte Hall used her farewell speech to promote newspapers' futures and reveal she is angry at naysayers.

With ASNE canceling its annual meeting, Hall posted her speech online Monday, with a mix of hope and criticism for those who want to bury the daily miracle too soon.

"I end my ASNE year both hopeful and angry. Many, in and out of our industry, are working hard to envision new models to support journalism. I cheer them on," she wrote, in part. "But I am angry at the pundits who would dance on newspapers? graves. Their anti-newspaper vitriol disrespects the work being done by journalists in newsrooms all over America.

"These pundits take delight in telling us we are failures. Yet truth be told, the vast majority of local public interest journalism--the watchdog stories, the investigations, the coverage of city hall and the school board, the stories with impact on public policy--is still being done in newspaper newsrooms. And that is why thoughtful people are frightened about the perilous state of newspapers. They know that the loss of every journalist is a loss for democracy. And that is why we must fight on."

Hall, editor of the Orlando Sentinel, is being succeeded as ASNE president by Martin Kaiser, editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Hall's entire online speech is below:

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Dear ASNE friends:

As I end my year as ASNE?s president, I want to thank you for your support and guidance. I have been honored to serve as your president. Along with this note, you will find my report to the ASNE board on an extraordinary year. In Marty Kaiser, ASNE will have a new president with passion and energy. I will help him in any way I can.

If I were to give the usual speech at our convention, I would talk first of the tremendous respect, admiration and affection I have for all of you. Your courage and tenacity are inspirational. The strength I draw from you has enabled me to fight for the organization whose values I cherish.

I end my ASNE year both hopeful and angry. Many, in and out of our industry, are working hard to envision new models to support journalism. I cheer them on. But I am angry at the pundits who would dance on newspapers? graves. Their anti-newspaper vitriol disrespects the work being done by journalists in newsrooms all over America.

These pundits take delight in telling us we are failures. Yet truth be told, the vast majority of local public interest journalism--the watchdog stories, the investigations, the coverage of city hall and the school board, the stories with impact on public policy--is still being done in newspaper newsrooms. And that is why thoughtful people are frightened about the perilous state of newspapers. They know that the loss of every journalist is a loss for democracy. And that is why we must fight on.

Hope has been hard to come by lately, no doubt about it. We have had to say farewell to storied newspapers and talented journalists. And yet I see hope popping up like the brave flowers of spring that rise from frigid ground. I see it in our huge and growing audience--our Web audience is up more than 10 percent in a year, Nielsen reported last week. I see it in the digital skills of our staffs. I see it in the transformation of our newsrooms to digital information centers that also produce a print newspaper. I see it in our ability to engage people through social media. I see it in creation of online communities hosted by our newsrooms. I see it in the redesign of our print papers. I see it in the undiminished commitment to public service journalism.

At this point, I feel like giving the Winston Churchill finale about fighting on the beaches and never giving up. But you are already doing that. You are battling on every front, not for yourself and not for your company, but for the journalists you lead and the communities you serve.

Journalism is being reborn. How painful! How exciting! None of us knows what it will look like in three, four, five, years. But we do know it will be alive and kicking because we will not, and cannot, fail.

Thank you for your friendship. You are the unsung heroes of journalism. Lead on.

Best wishes,
Charlotte