Battlefield Blast

The man behind the plaques

2009-05-31T07:53:00.001-07:00

Like many attendees of Keystone award ceremonies of years past, Don Gilliland was unsatisfied with the structure of the program.

Award winners would line up and walk onto a stage to receive their plaques or certificates when their name was called, much like many graduation ceremonies.

"It became known as the 'cattle call,'" Gilliland said. "After 10 minutes or so, people just stopped clapping."

Gilliland, managing editor of The Potter Leader-Enterprise and PSNE board member since 2002, attended the board meetings where PSNE and PNA brainstormed new ways to present awards to the recepients. For at least five years, he said, the brainstorming continued.

"The only thing harder than trying to organize newspaper people is trying to organize drunk newspaper people," he joked.

When they finally decided to restructure the program, it was not much better, in his opinion, so he called to complain.

"They said, 'Well, do you have a better idea?'" When Gilliland said he did, they told him, "Then do it."

So he did.

In his new model of the ceremony, which he began last year (2008), award winners would stand when their name was called, and one of the volunteers from PNA would bring them their awards. The volunteer, however, would know ahead of time where the winner was standing, and would "hover" in the area of their table to cut down on time.

Another time-saving change: calling only the names of the winners who are present at the ceremony.

Friday, the day before this year's award ceremony, Gilliland and some other helpers spent about six hours preparing the plaques and organizing for the program. His goal for the ceremony's end was 10 p.m. (it started around 6:30), and the program concluded around 9:40, an improvement in only the second year.

Gilliland joked that it went from being a cattle call to a "bucket brigade," but said that the new structure allows winner to feel a sense of recognition and honor when presented their award, while at the same time cutting the time of the ceremony down significantly.

Gettysburg Times field trip

2009-05-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

By Charles McKinney

The PSNE interns went on a tour Friday of the Gettysburg Times daily newspaper to catch a glimpse of everyday journalism at work. We walked around the newsroom as reporters worked on their stories in their cubicles. Administrative offices line the newsroom's perimeter.

Discussing the tough circumstances facing the industry today, Times editor BJ Small described ways small, medium and large newspapers are adapting to revenue losses. He described efforts to reduce the size of their broadsheets and other cost-cutting measures.

Following the newsroom tour, we explored the press room, where the Gettysburg Times produces its own publications. The newspaper also creates content for a periodical published in Spanish to cater to the area's Hispanic community.

The visit was enlightening, engaging and empowering for us young journalists who aspire to make a name for ourselves in this highly competitive yet enjoyable industry.

See www.gettysburgtimes.com to view the daily newspaper's coverage.

How football and journalism relate

2009-05-30T11:42:00.001-07:00

By Stephanie Mancuso

Penn State assistant football coach Jay Paterno spoke at the conference today and gave journalists a pep talk on how to use change to revive the newspaper industry. It was pleasantly suprising that Paterno said steps that have helped him on the football field with the Nittany Lions can be applied in the newsroom.

Paterno explained that he is an avid newspaper reader, going as far as calling himself the industry's "biggest supporter." Paterno is extremely adamant about the idea that success requires change.

Paterno's comparison of the football field to the newspaper industry was interesting. "We are very similar in that when the grounds start to shift around us a little bit, we start to fall behind a little bit and all of a sudden because of Joe and because of some of the things I did, we were able to kind of get where we wanted to be," he said.

It was refreshing to see someone other than a journalist speaking on behalf of the newspaper industry and explaining a different take on how to make changes, especially since Paterno used an unexpected analogy to football.

Wyndham Hotel in Gettysburg

2009-05-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

By Charles McKinney

The 2009 Pennsylvania Press Conference is taking place at the Wyndham Hotel in historic Gettysburg.

The hotel building is just two years old. The exterior of the building, visible from the freeway, resembles a gigantic villa with its aesthetically pleasing architectural design, while the interior is even more pleasing to the eye.

The six interns share luxurious suites; the women share a room and the men share a room. The hotel has a nice restaurant and a cozy, stylish lounge/bar, which includes wireless Internet access.

The hotel entrance is quite grandiose with its high-caliber chandeliers, comfy furniture and smooth jazz music in the background. Many amenities can be found at the hotel, such as high-speed Internet access in every room, a fitness center, indoor swimming pool/whirlpool, various conference rooms, room service, cable television and gargantuan showers in the bathrooms, among many others.

The hotel is adjacent to the Courtyard Marriott and shares the same vicinity as the Gateway Theater and the Garibaldi Ristorante. Accessible from Route 15 and downtown Gettysburg (5 miles away), the Wyndham hotel stands as a premier destination for tourists looking for a superior place to stay while in Gettysburg.

Visit http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MDTGE/main.wnt for more information about the hotel.

Silent Auction to benefit the Online Reporter

2009-05-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Desmond

For the second year, a silent auction is being held at the Press Conference. Items from books to quilts to sports tickets are available for bid by the registration table.

Bids will close at 6:30 p.m. today (Saturday).

The winners will be announced at the Keystone Awards banquet. Prizes can be paid for and picked up after the awards.

All proceeds from the auction will go to next year's Online Reporter project.

New town, new sights

2009-05-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Desmond

Any time you go somewhere new, there are different things, people and traditions to observe. Gettysburg can give travelers a unique experience through its Civil War atmosphere.

I experienced this first-hand when I stopped for dinner Wednesday. It was my first time in the town since sixth grade, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I came upon O'Rourke's Resturaunt and Pub, so I decided to stop. I sat at a table near the bar and mostly people-watched, since I was alone. What I saw nearly made me check my phone to be sure I was still in 2009.

As I sat and ate my salad, a man in full Union soldier attire walked in. He sat at the bar and ordered a beer. Not much later, another soldier entered. Then followed a family with a soldier, woman with a giant hoop skirt and two children, also dressed as soldiers, muskets and all.

This isn't something one sees every day, especially not in Pittsburgh. Soldiers at the local pub definitely wasn't something I was expecting to see. It made me laugh inside but also made me appreciate what Gettysburg has to offer. The town doesn't just hold tours along the battlefield and provide some Abraham Lincoln statues to pose next to. Instead, it dedicates the entire atmosphere to the historical events. If you allow yourself, you can easily lose yourself in 1863.

Print may be dead, but journalists aren't

2009-05-29T15:38:00.001-07:00

By Stephanie Desmond

This morning, the Online Reporter interns and mentors took a tour of the Gettysburg Times newsroom. Editor BJ Small addressed the issues the industry is facing and ways the paper is working to save itself.

Small spoke to the journalists about their role in the ever-changing print field. He emphasized that even if papers convert to a solely online format, reporters will still be as important as ever.

Even though technology is developing everyday, that doesn't mean reporters need to run out and find a new career path. Journalists' role in this country will always be the same. They will always need to be watchdogs. They will always be there to tell the story of the underdogs and the winners and the losers. No matter how they're getting the information to the public, it will still be getting it there.

So even if print is dead, journalists will never say die.

LIVE Broadcast of Conversation with Wendy Warren

2009-05-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Students from the Pennsylvania Society of Newspaper Editors Online Reporter Internship will talk with Wendy Warren, the vice president and editor of Philly.com. Check back at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 29 for the broadcast.

When it rains, it pours

2009-05-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

By Jess Eagle

It's been raining in Gettysburg since Wednesday. And for conference attendees, when it rains, it sure does pour. During the Off The Record panel discussion today, thunder literally shook the floor of the room.

It came to a surprise to those in attendance, as the room was windowless and the sun was shining before the panel discussion began.

Aside from the torrential downpours, the temperatures have been warm and muggy. Tonight's low will be 57, and tomorrow will reach 77, with a low of 55, according to weather.com.

The Gettysburg Times Tour

2009-05-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

By Stephanie Mancuso

To gain more revenue and attract more readers, the Gettysburg Times prints a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper translated in Spanish, and also a bi-weekly magazine. By having all of these news outlets, reporters get a chance to write in a variety of different styles from hard news writing to feature writing.

Being the Editor of The Dome at Widener University, I noticed that not many students really were interested in reading the weekly newspaper that we put out. So the staff and I decided to change things and create a news magazine instead of a newspaper, which turned out to be a huge success! I thought that it was interesting that the Gettysburg Times had a news magazine as well.

President Obama comes to Gettysburg ... kind of

2009-05-28T15:08:00.001-07:00

By Stephanie Mancuso

A wax figure of President Obama is now on display at the Hall of Presidents and First Ladies Museum in Gettysburg. With the addition of President Obama, the museum now includes a wax statue of every U.S. president from Washington to Obama.

The side-by-side picture shows President Obama's actual picture next to his wax statue, and it looks like the wax statue is actually melting!

To see a side-by-side picture, check out this site.

New News from the Battle of Gettysburg

2009-05-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Seaman

A letter written by President Abraham Lincoln (right) five days before he delivered his famous Gettysburg Address was recently donated to the National Archives.

The letter allowed Lincoln’s treasury secretary to release the record of a former director of the U.S. Mint.

The letter reads:

Hon. Sec. of Treasury
My dear Sir

Mr. Stevens, late Superintendent of the Mint at San Francisco, asks to have a copy, or be permitted to examine, and take extracts, of the evidence upon which he was removed. Please oblige him in one way or the other.

Yours truly, A. Lincoln.

The Birthplaces of Instant War Coverage

2009-05-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

By Andrew Seaman

The Battle of Gettysburg is not only considered the turning point of the Civil War, it is also considered one of the birthplaces of instant war coverage.

According to the National Park Service, “The primary way for the public to get news of campaigns, battles and other events during the Civil War was through newspapers…Companies printed stories sent to them from reporters who accompanied the armies or from letters sent to them by soldiers…Once the story was written, it was transmitted to the newspaper office or a central news agency by telegraph.”

Larger newspapers were able to pay artists to sketch the battles. Alfred R. Waud (left) was an artist for Harper’s Weekly. He is best known for painting the battle at Devil’s Den in Gettysburg.

According to Louis Starr, another famous correspondent was Frank C. Chapman. Chapman raced his account of the Gettysburg battles to the telegraph in Baltimore. He was the first to arrive, but his competition arrived soon after. To stall the telegraphers, Chapman had them transmit a copy of the Bible. Because of protocol, Starr says, “Chapman was able to control the wires throughout the day as his competitors waited powerlessly in line.”