2008 Woodie Awards
LETTERS FOCUS: 'SAVE SJR,' READERS SAY
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: Opinion/Editorial
- Page 1 of 1
Last week, The Journal ran an article saying The St. Louis Journalism Review, which is funded by the university, may be shut down. The article elicited many responses from our readers. The Gorlok Gauge will return next week.
SJR will prevail
Your article on the St. Louis Journalism Review requires a few corrections, although in general it is accurate.
I never assured Webster University SJR would be self-supporting "within a few years." Yes, we expressed our hope that it might break even, but my eight months of negotiations with Webster l995-96 whether it would be a grant or loan testifies to my doubts that it would reach that goal. Ultimately, we compromised that the first two years would be a grant and in succeeding years it would be a loan, which would be annually abrogated if SJR's income could not repay the loan. However, Webster never abrogated the annual subsidy.
It is with deep gratitude that I want to recognize Webster University's support, which kept SJR alive over the last decade. Whatever the pending questions are, Webster University's stepping forth and assuming the burden reveals their commitment to a free and independent media voice. Not once during this period has anyone at Webster tried to interfere with the contents of SJR.
Could not Poynter Institute's Roy Peter Clark's comments about SJR also be applied to the Poynter Institute? The Institute is dedicated to improving journalism, among many other subjects, but has journalism improved during recent decades? We do not think so. Does this mean we hold Poynter responsible for this lack, if not decline, of journalism standards? No, we do not. Market forces even beyond the influence of the Poynter Institute are playing a role. On the other hand, that scholars at this Florida media center are intimately aware of SJR is a testament to SJR's national recognition and to the visibility it has given to the communications program at Webster.
The presence of SJR on the campus has been of considerable benefit to the university in recognition, as a teaching tool and in strengthening the School of Communications.
Finally, I can assure you that the print version of SJR will not be shut down.
Charles L. Klotzer
Founder
Editor/Publisher Emeritus
St. Louis Journalism Review
Sad, but understandable
It's sad to hear that SJR may have to cease its print edition, but understandable. The reality is that printed pieces, whether they be brochures, newsletters or newspapers, are simply not cost-effective in today's world. In the public relations world, we've sacrificed many traditional print publications for more cost-effective online communications and, honestly, we get better readership with the online or e-mail editions.
Although it saddens me to think I will no longer see SJR in print, I applaud the university for trying to remain fiscally responsible.
Stacey Thomson
Alumna 1995
Communications Manager
SSM Health Care of St. Louis
Soul of SJR lives in the print edition
I will admit to having a bias as one of many members of the St. Louis Journalism Review's board of editorial advisers, but it is unthinkable that Webster would consider ending its support for SJR as a print publication.
Closing down the print edition of SJR is shortsighted and a foolish way to save money in tough times. The review needs to be in print. Having it online or as a blog is important and is another outreach tentacle, but its soul lives in the print edition.
The loss of SJR would be terribly significant. It is a unique voice in the community and one that needs to survive. I think it is important to remember that with SJR, Webster University got a full-time teacher and a monthly publication for the price of paying what one professor normally costs.
SJR has never made money, but the review, like the university-funded Repertory Theatre and the Conservatory Theatre, are key elements of Webster's infrastructure and help define its role in the community. SJR has added to the students' education and given Webster's program visibility and national recognition. Would Roy Peter Clark even know about Webster University if it were not for SJR?
I am also confident that it has been useful to the students and faculty to be able to rub shoulders with you folks at SJR meetings. SJR also has provided such a great resource for classroom guest lecturers and for college journalism convention speakers.
Keep SJR alive!
David Cohen
Morgan Hill, Calif.
Former ABC Midwest Bureau Chief
SJR helps put Webster on the map
There is a name for the spending of money that doesn't result in an immediate, direct return. It's called an investment. You get back more than you put in, but you have to be patient and wait. The returns may also not come back to you in the same vein as you paid in, but you do reap the benefits.
The same can be said for the St. Louis Journalism Review. The paper helps to put the communications department and Webster University as a whole on the map. It brings a level of prestige to the school that will influence high school seniors when choosing a college. Students coming to Webster means thousands of dollars in tuition for the university. This benefit of printing SJR may not be easily quantified, but it cannot be ignored when calculating the worth of the publication.
Jen Nahlik
Alumna '01
St. Louis
Tossing SJR is slap in the face for education
For everything good and not so good about Webster University, one of my lasting impressions was that, for the most part, independent thought was favored on Lockwood Avenue.
Then I read the Feb. 16 issue of the Webster Journal, where I read about the possible demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review. It seems the publication is awash with debt and lacks a plan to recover. I won't argue that. Any company would probably want to trim what they would consider "fat" from budget. That's exactly what you would expect from a major corporation.
But we're not talking about a major corporation. We're talking about a school, a laboratory for life. A place where the skills needed to become greater than the sum of your parts are to be obtained. When you consider SJR from this point of view, no amount of debt outweighs what the publication offers Webster University students, as well as the entire metropolitan area.
We can talk about how SJR is one of only three reviews remaining in the entire country or that it has weathered storms many other publications could not - due, in part, to help from Webster University. But my main concern is the lasting impression it left on me and how the university would provide a great disservice to future journalists by eliminating it. The school puts itself in the enviable position of owning such a publication. Likely, there are schools in this country that would love to have such a vehicle for learning. By throwing it away, Webster slaps the
face of education.
As a former student at Webster and member of the Journal staff, I looked to the review for inspiration. It's a gift for those who are not caught up in modern media convergence, tailored for fast food-minded readers. For those who truly admire the written word, the review is second to none.
Don't look at the books. Look at history. The review is the kind of real-life experience for students that Webster administrators have said for years is the backbone of the type of education people receive at the school. What message are you sending to future students interested in what is arguably the finest journalism program in the metro area? You could use the review as a tool for good and learning, but without its presence, the school is simply less desirable.
Jeff Tobin
Managing Editor
Suburban Journals of
Warrenton and Wentzville
Webster should support SJR, not destroy it
I read with disbelief the article on the looming demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review in its current form at Webster, planned as a cost-cutting measure for the university. I was especially surprised to see that (School of Communications) Dean Debra Carpenter questioned the value of the publication to the journalism program.
As a former managing editor (1989) and general manager (1999-2000) of The Journal and a former freelance writer for SJR, I can attest to the value of Webster supporting the publication. First off, it provides student journalists a fantastic learning outlet since students can contribute to the publication. Second, it provides student journalists access to working journalists in the St. Louis area. These contacts can be invaluable. Third, it opens student journalists' eyes to some of the ethical issues they will deal with once they enter the "real world" of journalism.
With the sad state of the print media in St. Louis, Webster should be willing to take extra steps to support SJR, not consider cutting its legs out from under it. If Webster wants to expand SJR's presence on the web, that would be a good thing. But it should not be done as a way to undermine the publication's long and proud history.
I hope the board will reconsider its intentions.
Dawn (Grodsky) Reeves
Senior correspondent
Inside EPA
Arlington, Va.
You can't put a price on quality journalism
This just in: Webster University administrators care more about money than education.
Oh, wait, I think we've all known that for some time.
Why is it that during a budget crunch (partially caused by sagging enrollment at military campuses and partially by a lawsuit) apparently no thought is given to slashing the Conservatory budget or closing down one of the music school's programs?
Could it be that those programs bring the university high visibility among the deep-pocketed donors administrators are trying to reach, and the St. Louis Journalism Review and, by extension, the journalism program doesn't?
SJR is an invaluable outlet for opinion, commentary and real journalism. Do you think the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and TV news provide all the context you need to understand an issue?
Not only is SJR important to the St. Louis community, it greatly enhances the educational value of the journalism program. Believe me, that's not something you want to mess with, administrators. That is, unless you really don't care about making good journalists.
The United States isn't suffering from a glut of good journalists. Take away a learning tool like SJR and journalism graduates will see their worth plummet because they will see the quality of their education sink, much like their paychecks.
And now we really get around to it, don't we: paychecks. Of course, that's what it's all about. SJR doesn't bring in enough coin, so it's got to go. Education be damned and journalism be damned.
Journalism isn't something that can be taught in a classroom. You can't learn how to cultivate sources, chase down leads, write and edit stories, design pages and manage a newsroom by reading a textbook.
I guess the real question is, how much is journalism worth? More to the point, how much are journalists worth? I fear the answer is not very much at all.
Just think of it: a world full of bankers. An entire planet of bean-counters, trodding in lockstep toward their cubicles, each one concerned about only one thing: money.
Jennifer Gaskin
Alumna '01
New Whiteland, Ind.
Wake up and smell the newsprint
Webster University administrators need to ask themselves just how committed they are to the School of Communications, specifically the St. Louis Journalism Review and, more specifically, the students they claim to serve.
As a graduate of Webster University's School of Communications, I read Jonathan Kleinow's recent report in The Journal with grief. To kill SJR to save a little money as school attorneys flail over Marlettogate leaves a smell in the air I cannot abide.
Forget for a moment how important SJR is outside of Webster as the last local review of its kind. I'm sure other writers can more properly explain that significance than I.
Journalism students and graduates look to SJR as a source of pride. SJR and Ed Bishop helped instill in me just what it means to be truly aggressive and fair. The pages of SJR sprang to life in Bishop's classroom. It was like having a portal into the world of professional journalism on campus, as it should be. It was an important part of my education at Webster - something the kids at the much bigger journalism school in Columbia didn't have.
The potential loss of the print SJR should be a wake-up call for all School of Communications faculty, graduates and students. We should urge administrators to completely open their books and prove to the Webster University community that the death of print SJR will somehow benefit students.
It's the kind of thing SJR would demand of St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters amid a scandal at City Hall. Let's see if Webster's journalism community can do the same to save one of our own.
Adam Linhardt
Alumnus '02
Belmont, N.C.
Long live SJR!
We have only the following to say about the rumored demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review: we are not amused.
Any future gift we would consider giving to our alma mater is now in jeopardy, due to this shortsighted and pathetically misguided decision.
In closing, let us say that, if perhaps we have seen a little farther than most journalists and accomplished a little more, it is only because we were standing on the shoulders of giants like Ed Bishop and the St. Louis Journalism Review. Long live SJR. So say we all.
Lindsey Pilcher, Alumna '05
Terry Smith, Alumnus '02
Chris Campbell, Alumnus '03
Ken West, Concerned reader and St. Louis area-journalist
SJR doesn't belong on the computer
Can it be true that the budget ax is about to fall on the St. Louis Journalism Review? Say it ain't so, Charles. As a broadcast professional and graduate of this prestigious university, I must voice my indignation at the thought of moving SJR to a completely electronic form.
While the computer has its place, I would bet that readership would drop precipitously if it became e-Journalism Review dot com. Should the Rep shutter its doors and move all performances into the cafeteria? Over mine and Peter Sargent's plaid jacket! What would the late professor Cargas think if we bulldozed over the tennis courts to sprout another building? Seriously, let's keep the black ink of SJR on my fingers. And yes, contact me for a donation. I will forgo my Rep tickets and send that money for a true cause.
Patrick Elsner
St. Louis Rams Radio
KLOU-FM 103.3
SJR is a service to more than journalists
As a former journalism student and editor of The Journal, I personally benefited from having the St. Louis Journalism Review and editor Ed Bishop on campus. A forum for important journalism, political and social issues, SJR pushed those topics into classroom discussions and newsroom conversations and provided the information we needed to form solid opinions and debate them.
But SJR is a rich information source for everyone - not just current and aspiring journalists. Given the power of journalists as finders and filters of information, all people need a solid understanding of media issues. And SJR isn't just local journalists talking shop. In the most recent issue, political scientists, art historians and social scientists discuss freedom of speech and expression - something all Americans should be thinking about.
Housing SJR costs the university $50,000 to $60,000 per year, $17,000 of which is printing and postage. That's pretty meager when you consider that Webster University President Richard Meyers makes a total of $329,881 in pay and benefits and has a $71,176 expense account.
SJR is worth every cent and more.
Leigh Muzslay
Alumna '02
San Francisco, Calif.
Watchdog needed to keep eye on media
I worked for Charles Klotzer for four years, from 1982 until early 1986. No matter the shortcomings of the St. Louis Journalism Review, we really need an independent watchdog to watch the media. It's even more critical today than it was in 1986 when I first left St. Louis or 1970 when SJR was founded. I hope Webster University doesn't allow one of the community's most valuable assets to wither away.
Roland Klose
Editor, Illinois Times
Springfield, Ill.
SJR will prevail
Your article on the St. Louis Journalism Review requires a few corrections, although in general it is accurate.
I never assured Webster University SJR would be self-supporting "within a few years." Yes, we expressed our hope that it might break even, but my eight months of negotiations with Webster l995-96 whether it would be a grant or loan testifies to my doubts that it would reach that goal. Ultimately, we compromised that the first two years would be a grant and in succeeding years it would be a loan, which would be annually abrogated if SJR's income could not repay the loan. However, Webster never abrogated the annual subsidy.
It is with deep gratitude that I want to recognize Webster University's support, which kept SJR alive over the last decade. Whatever the pending questions are, Webster University's stepping forth and assuming the burden reveals their commitment to a free and independent media voice. Not once during this period has anyone at Webster tried to interfere with the contents of SJR.
Could not Poynter Institute's Roy Peter Clark's comments about SJR also be applied to the Poynter Institute? The Institute is dedicated to improving journalism, among many other subjects, but has journalism improved during recent decades? We do not think so. Does this mean we hold Poynter responsible for this lack, if not decline, of journalism standards? No, we do not. Market forces even beyond the influence of the Poynter Institute are playing a role. On the other hand, that scholars at this Florida media center are intimately aware of SJR is a testament to SJR's national recognition and to the visibility it has given to the communications program at Webster.
The presence of SJR on the campus has been of considerable benefit to the university in recognition, as a teaching tool and in strengthening the School of Communications.
Finally, I can assure you that the print version of SJR will not be shut down.
Charles L. Klotzer
Founder
Editor/Publisher Emeritus
St. Louis Journalism Review
Sad, but understandable
It's sad to hear that SJR may have to cease its print edition, but understandable. The reality is that printed pieces, whether they be brochures, newsletters or newspapers, are simply not cost-effective in today's world. In the public relations world, we've sacrificed many traditional print publications for more cost-effective online communications and, honestly, we get better readership with the online or e-mail editions.
Although it saddens me to think I will no longer see SJR in print, I applaud the university for trying to remain fiscally responsible.
Stacey Thomson
Alumna 1995
Communications Manager
SSM Health Care of St. Louis
Soul of SJR lives in the print edition
I will admit to having a bias as one of many members of the St. Louis Journalism Review's board of editorial advisers, but it is unthinkable that Webster would consider ending its support for SJR as a print publication.
Closing down the print edition of SJR is shortsighted and a foolish way to save money in tough times. The review needs to be in print. Having it online or as a blog is important and is another outreach tentacle, but its soul lives in the print edition.
The loss of SJR would be terribly significant. It is a unique voice in the community and one that needs to survive. I think it is important to remember that with SJR, Webster University got a full-time teacher and a monthly publication for the price of paying what one professor normally costs.
SJR has never made money, but the review, like the university-funded Repertory Theatre and the Conservatory Theatre, are key elements of Webster's infrastructure and help define its role in the community. SJR has added to the students' education and given Webster's program visibility and national recognition. Would Roy Peter Clark even know about Webster University if it were not for SJR?
I am also confident that it has been useful to the students and faculty to be able to rub shoulders with you folks at SJR meetings. SJR also has provided such a great resource for classroom guest lecturers and for college journalism convention speakers.
Keep SJR alive!
David Cohen
Morgan Hill, Calif.
Former ABC Midwest Bureau Chief
SJR helps put Webster on the map
There is a name for the spending of money that doesn't result in an immediate, direct return. It's called an investment. You get back more than you put in, but you have to be patient and wait. The returns may also not come back to you in the same vein as you paid in, but you do reap the benefits.
The same can be said for the St. Louis Journalism Review. The paper helps to put the communications department and Webster University as a whole on the map. It brings a level of prestige to the school that will influence high school seniors when choosing a college. Students coming to Webster means thousands of dollars in tuition for the university. This benefit of printing SJR may not be easily quantified, but it cannot be ignored when calculating the worth of the publication.
Jen Nahlik
Alumna '01
St. Louis
Tossing SJR is slap in the face for education
For everything good and not so good about Webster University, one of my lasting impressions was that, for the most part, independent thought was favored on Lockwood Avenue.
Then I read the Feb. 16 issue of the Webster Journal, where I read about the possible demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review. It seems the publication is awash with debt and lacks a plan to recover. I won't argue that. Any company would probably want to trim what they would consider "fat" from budget. That's exactly what you would expect from a major corporation.
But we're not talking about a major corporation. We're talking about a school, a laboratory for life. A place where the skills needed to become greater than the sum of your parts are to be obtained. When you consider SJR from this point of view, no amount of debt outweighs what the publication offers Webster University students, as well as the entire metropolitan area.
We can talk about how SJR is one of only three reviews remaining in the entire country or that it has weathered storms many other publications could not - due, in part, to help from Webster University. But my main concern is the lasting impression it left on me and how the university would provide a great disservice to future journalists by eliminating it. The school puts itself in the enviable position of owning such a publication. Likely, there are schools in this country that would love to have such a vehicle for learning. By throwing it away, Webster slaps the
face of education.
As a former student at Webster and member of the Journal staff, I looked to the review for inspiration. It's a gift for those who are not caught up in modern media convergence, tailored for fast food-minded readers. For those who truly admire the written word, the review is second to none.
Don't look at the books. Look at history. The review is the kind of real-life experience for students that Webster administrators have said for years is the backbone of the type of education people receive at the school. What message are you sending to future students interested in what is arguably the finest journalism program in the metro area? You could use the review as a tool for good and learning, but without its presence, the school is simply less desirable.
Jeff Tobin
Managing Editor
Suburban Journals of
Warrenton and Wentzville
Webster should support SJR, not destroy it
I read with disbelief the article on the looming demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review in its current form at Webster, planned as a cost-cutting measure for the university. I was especially surprised to see that (School of Communications) Dean Debra Carpenter questioned the value of the publication to the journalism program.
As a former managing editor (1989) and general manager (1999-2000) of The Journal and a former freelance writer for SJR, I can attest to the value of Webster supporting the publication. First off, it provides student journalists a fantastic learning outlet since students can contribute to the publication. Second, it provides student journalists access to working journalists in the St. Louis area. These contacts can be invaluable. Third, it opens student journalists' eyes to some of the ethical issues they will deal with once they enter the "real world" of journalism.
With the sad state of the print media in St. Louis, Webster should be willing to take extra steps to support SJR, not consider cutting its legs out from under it. If Webster wants to expand SJR's presence on the web, that would be a good thing. But it should not be done as a way to undermine the publication's long and proud history.
I hope the board will reconsider its intentions.
Dawn (Grodsky) Reeves
Senior correspondent
Inside EPA
Arlington, Va.
You can't put a price on quality journalism
This just in: Webster University administrators care more about money than education.
Oh, wait, I think we've all known that for some time.
Why is it that during a budget crunch (partially caused by sagging enrollment at military campuses and partially by a lawsuit) apparently no thought is given to slashing the Conservatory budget or closing down one of the music school's programs?
Could it be that those programs bring the university high visibility among the deep-pocketed donors administrators are trying to reach, and the St. Louis Journalism Review and, by extension, the journalism program doesn't?
SJR is an invaluable outlet for opinion, commentary and real journalism. Do you think the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and TV news provide all the context you need to understand an issue?
Not only is SJR important to the St. Louis community, it greatly enhances the educational value of the journalism program. Believe me, that's not something you want to mess with, administrators. That is, unless you really don't care about making good journalists.
The United States isn't suffering from a glut of good journalists. Take away a learning tool like SJR and journalism graduates will see their worth plummet because they will see the quality of their education sink, much like their paychecks.
And now we really get around to it, don't we: paychecks. Of course, that's what it's all about. SJR doesn't bring in enough coin, so it's got to go. Education be damned and journalism be damned.
Journalism isn't something that can be taught in a classroom. You can't learn how to cultivate sources, chase down leads, write and edit stories, design pages and manage a newsroom by reading a textbook.
I guess the real question is, how much is journalism worth? More to the point, how much are journalists worth? I fear the answer is not very much at all.
Just think of it: a world full of bankers. An entire planet of bean-counters, trodding in lockstep toward their cubicles, each one concerned about only one thing: money.
Jennifer Gaskin
Alumna '01
New Whiteland, Ind.
Wake up and smell the newsprint
Webster University administrators need to ask themselves just how committed they are to the School of Communications, specifically the St. Louis Journalism Review and, more specifically, the students they claim to serve.
As a graduate of Webster University's School of Communications, I read Jonathan Kleinow's recent report in The Journal with grief. To kill SJR to save a little money as school attorneys flail over Marlettogate leaves a smell in the air I cannot abide.
Forget for a moment how important SJR is outside of Webster as the last local review of its kind. I'm sure other writers can more properly explain that significance than I.
Journalism students and graduates look to SJR as a source of pride. SJR and Ed Bishop helped instill in me just what it means to be truly aggressive and fair. The pages of SJR sprang to life in Bishop's classroom. It was like having a portal into the world of professional journalism on campus, as it should be. It was an important part of my education at Webster - something the kids at the much bigger journalism school in Columbia didn't have.
The potential loss of the print SJR should be a wake-up call for all School of Communications faculty, graduates and students. We should urge administrators to completely open their books and prove to the Webster University community that the death of print SJR will somehow benefit students.
It's the kind of thing SJR would demand of St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporters amid a scandal at City Hall. Let's see if Webster's journalism community can do the same to save one of our own.
Adam Linhardt
Alumnus '02
Belmont, N.C.
Long live SJR!
We have only the following to say about the rumored demise of the St. Louis Journalism Review: we are not amused.
Any future gift we would consider giving to our alma mater is now in jeopardy, due to this shortsighted and pathetically misguided decision.
In closing, let us say that, if perhaps we have seen a little farther than most journalists and accomplished a little more, it is only because we were standing on the shoulders of giants like Ed Bishop and the St. Louis Journalism Review. Long live SJR. So say we all.
Lindsey Pilcher, Alumna '05
Terry Smith, Alumnus '02
Chris Campbell, Alumnus '03
Ken West, Concerned reader and St. Louis area-journalist
SJR doesn't belong on the computer
Can it be true that the budget ax is about to fall on the St. Louis Journalism Review? Say it ain't so, Charles. As a broadcast professional and graduate of this prestigious university, I must voice my indignation at the thought of moving SJR to a completely electronic form.
While the computer has its place, I would bet that readership would drop precipitously if it became e-Journalism Review dot com. Should the Rep shutter its doors and move all performances into the cafeteria? Over mine and Peter Sargent's plaid jacket! What would the late professor Cargas think if we bulldozed over the tennis courts to sprout another building? Seriously, let's keep the black ink of SJR on my fingers. And yes, contact me for a donation. I will forgo my Rep tickets and send that money for a true cause.
Patrick Elsner
St. Louis Rams Radio
KLOU-FM 103.3
SJR is a service to more than journalists
As a former journalism student and editor of The Journal, I personally benefited from having the St. Louis Journalism Review and editor Ed Bishop on campus. A forum for important journalism, political and social issues, SJR pushed those topics into classroom discussions and newsroom conversations and provided the information we needed to form solid opinions and debate them.
But SJR is a rich information source for everyone - not just current and aspiring journalists. Given the power of journalists as finders and filters of information, all people need a solid understanding of media issues. And SJR isn't just local journalists talking shop. In the most recent issue, political scientists, art historians and social scientists discuss freedom of speech and expression - something all Americans should be thinking about.
Housing SJR costs the university $50,000 to $60,000 per year, $17,000 of which is printing and postage. That's pretty meager when you consider that Webster University President Richard Meyers makes a total of $329,881 in pay and benefits and has a $71,176 expense account.
SJR is worth every cent and more.
Leigh Muzslay
Alumna '02
San Francisco, Calif.
Watchdog needed to keep eye on media
I worked for Charles Klotzer for four years, from 1982 until early 1986. No matter the shortcomings of the St. Louis Journalism Review, we really need an independent watchdog to watch the media. It's even more critical today than it was in 1986 when I first left St. Louis or 1970 when SJR was founded. I hope Webster University doesn't allow one of the community's most valuable assets to wither away.
Roland Klose
Editor, Illinois Times
Springfield, Ill.