Opportunity and Disappointment
Each year I look forward to the North Dakota Newspaper Education Foundation Education Symposium in the fall and the North Dakota Newspaper Association Convention in the spring. Along with looking forward to going also comes the fact that I know that I will be having to close my office for two and a half days and that I will be catching up on all the work that didn’t get done in my absence for at least a week or two following being gone.
These are the choices that I make because I feel that it is important to be involved and to take advantage of the educational opportunities that are presented at each of these events.
It is true that after hours we let our hair down and have a little fun as we socialize. Along with the socializing there is also a fair amount of networking that goes on as well. We learn from each other about what is going on and what is working and what is not working. It is also a reminder that I am not alone, other papers are facing the same issues as I am no matter how big or small that their circulation and town is.
This past week I drove to Bismarck for the Education Symposium. I have to say that this year’s speakers and learning sessions were probably some of the best that we have had in a long time. Often as I sit and listen to the topics that are being presented I have to sift through a lot of it to figure out how to make it work for a newspaper my size. This was not the case this time. All the information transcended both circulation and newsroom staff sizes.
There was at least one thing that I learned in every session that I can use to try to improve upon what I am currently doing. It will take me a few weeks to sift through my notes to implement a lot of what I learned, but I will eventually make very good use of all of it. The hope is always that through these learning opportunities I can improve upon what I am doing and in turn be able to present a better product for all the readers and for the community.
Where does the disappointment come in? Each year attendance numbers for both events are decreasing. This is something that I simply do not understand. Especially for the Education Symposium because the only cost involved is your travel expenses. All of the education is paid for by NDNEF. They do their best to bring in people who are top experts in their field. There have been years when I wasn’t impressed with all the speakers, but that boils down to a matter of taste. Then there are years like this one where the information that was given was excellent in every session. This is information that I was given for free. Yes, it cost me gas money and a hotel stay. Yes, it cost me closing my office for two and a half days. The education that was received in return far outweighed what it cost me. The information that was received was invaluable.
From the first session there was disappointment expressed by many of my colleagues at the low attendance. I understand that not everyone can go every time. There are times when it just is not possible to get away. With that said I also find it very frustrating when the feedback from larger publications is that they simply can’t get away because of having fewer staff due to downsizing of the newsroom. This statement really bothers me. I am essentially an office of one person. When I leave to go to a function, to make the rounds on my advertising route, to run errands, or to go on a vacation (which is very rare). There is no one else to take over my duties. There is no one to answer the phone and there is no one else to get all the work done that needs to be done in my absence and there is no one in the office. Yet, I still manage to attend because it is that important to me. I could not afford to bring these speakers to me, and they are offered to me for free. That in my mind is a no brainer. Attend the free training and pay the travel expenses. Those of us in attendance are left scratching our heads wondering why others do not see this as an important opportunity.
The bottom line is just like everything else in life this opportunity may no longer exist because only a few find it important enough to attend. I find that very sad and I for one will miss it if indeed the foundation decides to discontinue do to lack of interest.