by Suzanne Hanney
A "High Class" Problem
by Suzanne Hanney
This year's National Federation of Press Women convention in Seattle presented
me with what my father used to term a "high-class problem:" too much
of a good thing in programs.
My first inclination was to attend a workshop on the etiquette of covering people
of mixed heritage, which is something I do every day. Then, I decided that since
I do it every day, I should broaden myself and attend the workshop on creatively
using the Writer's Market that was offered at the same time.
Luckily, I had a bit of both, since Cecilia gave me the handout. It made points
that I already knew: the words "quadroon" and "octoroon,"
for people who were one-quarter or one-eighth African-American, are not only
hopelessly outdated, they are an offensive, narrow way of describing someone.
A better method is to allow people to describe themselves by the mix of racial
identities they prefer.
The Writer's Market workshop did prove enlightening, with a presenter whose
interest in horses and history matched mine. She was able to recycle stories
she wrote on either topic to various publications, with the unexpected bonus
of military journals and gun publications. The lesson was to plumb every facet
of the story.
A session on alternative papers proved the most useful because I now edit one
in Chicago.
The panel included Joel Magalnick, editor of the Jewish Transcript; Nhien
Nguyen, editor of the International Examiner; Knute Berger, editor of
the Seattle Weekly and Marilyn Olsen of the Whatcom Independent.
"What makes a paper alternative" and "what audience is it trying
to reach" were just two of the issues they raised.
The International Examiner, for example, started out in the pan-Asian
International District just south of the Seattle downtown. As Asians have moved
throughout the Seattle metro area, however, Nguyen said their focus has become
Asian-American issues in general, whether local, national or international.
Their coverage differed from the local dailies, for example, during one anniversary
rally when the dailies chose to focus on a split within the community. As participants
in planning the event, however, the International Examiner knew that
only one or two radical voices diverged from the group as a whole and presented
a more balanced picture.
The editors also shared that their role is to preserve the "institutional
memory," the history and sense of what Seattle is, as more newcomers join
its population. That's a perspective I had felt but never put into words, so
I welcomed it as a purpose I could also share.
On the business side of publishing, Magalnick made a productive point: he doesn't
think of himself in "competition" with daily newspapers but rather
as a "niche" publication, due to the cheaper advertising rates he
can offer.