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Connecting
August 11, 2022
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Colleagues,
Good Thursday morning on this Aug. 11, 2022,
Funeral services for our colleague Marcus Eliason were held Wednesday in the rural community of Kadima in central Israel, in a plot near the burial places of both his parents.
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Our colleague Dan Perry was on hand and filed a story for Connecting that leads today’s issue. Dan lives in Israel and said, “Marcus was a dear friend, who I would have drinks and talks with whenever he came to Israel. So of course, I would be at the funeral.”
In 1984, while stationed in London for The Associated Press, I phoned Roger Bannister to request an interview for the 30th anniversary of his becoming the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes. His initial response was: “Is there still any interest in this?”
The AP announced on Wednesday a major change in its U.S. News structure. Beginning this fall, according to a note to AP staff from Executive Editor Julie Pace, the AP will move away from four separate U.S. regions to become one news gathering team that covers the country as a single unit. It will also launch a unified text editing desk for the U.S. and a single video production team.
In an accompanying FAQ to staff, these questions were posed and answered:
How does the new structure help the AP succeed journalistically and financially?
Transitioning to one U.S. team moving together in lockstep and in all formats on the biggest stories of the day sets us up for success in both avenues. A more photo- and video-driven report satisfies the needs of digital-based customers in the U.S. and overseas clients. A unified approach to the news allows us to stand out in a competitive marketplace.
Is this a cost cutting measure?
"No. The opposite is true: AP is investing more resources in U.S. News. Several new jobs have already been filled and more will continue to be posted. The goal of this realignment is to position AP for success on the biggest stories of the day and provide a more visual and digital focused report to our members and customers.”
The AP said it expects to be operating with the new system by the end of this year.
We bring you Julie's staff note in today's issue.
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A HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY to our colleague Rich Clarkson – one of the most talented (and nicest) people to ever pick up a camera. Rich, a renowned sports photographer, lives in Denver where he founded Clarkson Creative Photography in 1987 with the purpose of setting the benchmark for visual storytelling.
As noted on its web site, “His trademark photojournalistic style captured the full spectrum of the human effort and emotion that drives an athlete to moments of greatness. Dozens of his photographs have adorned the covers of Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated, many of them from the NCAA Final Four which he photographed a record 60 times - more than anyone in history. Rich was honored for his contribution to the sport of basketball by his enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.”
Have a great day – be safe, stay healthy!
Paul
Marcus Eliason buried in Israel
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Marcus Eliason is eulogized by a rabbi before his burial near his parents Wednesday. Photo/Dan Perry.
KADIMA, Israel (AP Connecting) - Iconic AP veteran Marcus Eliason was laid to rest Wednesday in the rural community of Kadima in central Israel, which is home to his brother Benjamin, in a plot near the burial places of both his parents.
On hand were his wife Eva, children, brothers, and friends and colleagues including the AP’s Randy Herschaft who happened to be in the country. Speaker after speaker shared stories of South Africa-born Marcus, who in the remembrances emerged not only as a stellar writer and editor (which is known and indisputable) but also a mensch who had the gift of mimicry and humor, a perennial twinkle in his eye, and an unbridled kindness of spirit (one remembered Marcus, as a young reporter with a bad back, laboring to help her collect a mountain of press IDs that had unaccountably spilled onto the ground).
His son David recalled that his father was also perhaps argumentative at times, adding that however heated the discourse spirits were always good and intelligence was always served. His daughter Avital played the song “In My Life” by the Beatles, an allusion to Marcus’ penchant for identifying lyrics to adorn stories in just the right way.
Among those present was Arik Bachar, who was foreign editor of the mass-circulation Maariv daily for many years, both in Marcus' time as bureau chief (1991-1993 I believe) and mine (2000-2004). Also attending were former AP staffer (in Israel and New York) Ruth Sinai and AP Jerusalem's TV cameraman Alon Bernstein.
One speaker was a man who was an AP staffer for three years in the 1980s, he said (I believe it was a David Odell), who said that Marcus was such a diligent and devoted teacher of how to write well ("not just great English -- great copy") that he is still inspired to this day, and although 35 years had passed, when he found himself in 2022 living in Kadima (a small place and therefore a big coincidence) and read the funeral notice somewhere he decided he must come tell people his story.
Marcus' brother Yossi offered a heartbreaking eulogy that included memories of the Six Day War, which after the family came to Israel from Rhodesia. There was great terror in anticipation of a threatened Egyptian invasion (in the end Israel attacked preemptively with much success). He could not continue, turned to the grave and started to sob, "my brother, my brother..." -- not in the cheapened way in which today we use the word, but like a herald from a more visceral and primal past. It rang so deep and true that I half expected the assembled -- a rather hardboiled crowd heavy with journalists – in weeping.
Fortunately, an older relative got up to speak about Marcus' sense of humor, which I can attest was biting and brilliant. He said the brothers (and he) all got it from a grandfather who was a well-regarded card in his day. The man also claimed credit for an interesting theory asserting that humor is essential at all times because the Angel of Death fears it so mightily that he flees from its presence. In this way humor protects us, and it protected Marcus (for 75 years, I guess).
Then came forth Ilana Balaban, AP’s veteran Israel office manager who served under Marcus during his stint as Jerusalem bureau chief in the early 1990s and retired in 2003 (I had to practically force her to have an event, so unsentimental is she). Ilana recalled how Marcus joined the bureau in the late 1960s.
The youth started off as a runner and copy boy, Ilana related, but eventually became a reporter and even achieved a room to sit in. She told of a visit to the office by Marcus’ mother Dorothy, who was horrified at the humble accommodations and dubious of her son’s career path.
“She told me, ‘Ilana, I’ve never seen such a thing in my life. Can you please talk to Marcus? Whatever will become of him, if this goes on?’”
Standing in front of the fresh grave Ilana turned to that of the mother and said: “Dorothy, you don’t need to worry. What became of him is a very great man.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Dan Perry served as AP's Cairo-based Middle East Editor (and Special International Editor) and London-based Europe-Africa Editor. He was also correspondent in Bucharest, Bureau Chief for the Caribbean and one of Eliason's successors as bureau chief in Jerusalem, during which time he was also chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian areas. He retired from AP in 2018 and is currently managing partner of the NY-based Thunder11 PR firm and writes frequently on global affairs for Newsweek, the NY Daily News, the Jerusalem Post and other publications.)
Memories of Marcus Eliason
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The cross-shaped rooftop of Beta Giyorgis (Church of St. George), one of the 11 churches carved out of the earth in the 11th and 12th centuries, is shown in Lalibela, Ethiopia. One of Ethiopia’s most fascinating attributes is its rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, sculpted in exacting detail out the soft volcanic rock in the north of the country. MARCUS ELIASON VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beth Harpaz – This story about a trip to Ethiopia, which I ran in AP travel in 2018, was one of the last bylines Marcus Eliason ever had on the wire:
I've been thinking about this story a lot after hearing of Marcus' passing. I literally edited thousands of travel stories as AP travel editor, and every now and then, there'd be one that would make me say, "I wanna go there!" This was one of those. Right now, I believe there's a conflict on the ground in Ethiopia that makes travel fraught, so it's not something I'll be doing soon, but it's definitely on my bucket list - and only because of this wonderful story by Marcus. For a guy who'd been everywhere, and seen everything, he knew how to capture the wonder of discovering something new, and he knew how to make us share the feeling that this thing he'd beheld was amazing. It's barely 800 words but not a word is wasted: Every sentence in the story offers a new revelation - about history, ancient and modern, or culture, or religion, or people. A mini-masterpiece, one that flows so beautifully and effortlessly that you could read it and not even quite realize how perfect it is. He took the photos too. Enjoy.
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Ken Klein - In 1976-77, I interned at AP-Tel Aviv with Marcus Eliason. Being an intern in that setting is analogous to a pick-up basketball player suiting up to play in the NBA. Yeah, I was out of my league. Thank you, Marcus and other AP pros for letting interns in the game, to experience what is possible.
On the demise of AP broadcast wire
Ed McCullough - I'm struck by Jim Hood's readable and informative account (in Wednesday’s Connecting) of the demise of the long-lived and recently departed AP Broadcast wire. Here's why.
News production and delivery changed radically from my grandfather's time - he was a reporter and editor of the Stamford (Ct.) Advocate from the 1920s through 1961 - through my own career (AP news and business, 1981-2016). It had to. Better ways were developed to inform people than by offering yesterday's news on dead tree products (newsprint) or only on TV or radio.
But with the generational changes, there was evolution. Improvement. Undersea cables, satellites, Internet, cell phones, radio and TV where before there were none. And money-making products: APTN, the AP news app, ENPS, the AP photo archive, NewsMinute, SportsMinute, whatever. More news was produced in all formats and news audiences - readers, viewers, listeners - wound up better informed.
That's not what's happening now. Present-day "journalism" is obliterating what came before, not building on it. There are 2,500 fewer newspapers today than in 2005, a loss of about 25% and about 40,000 newsroom staff that used to track public officials and expenditures, and local news of all kinds. Fewer news media are truly independent and nonpartisan. The remaining few are "merger and acquisition" into chains (apt description).
No solution is in sight. Rather, solutions are in plain sight, but not taken.
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Mark Hamrick - I can't help but feel a sense of sadness and loss about the end, or death, of the AP broadcast wire. The demise was slow in coming after serving radio and television stations and networks for the better part of a century. My late father toiled at the Rockefeller Center broadcast post in New York in the early 60s when the JFK assassination, Cuban Missile Crisis, Beatlemania and other big stories commanded attention.
Many of us had the thrill of hearing the words we wrote spoken word-for-word on a network or large station back in the day. Kudos to Mike Hammer for his efforts and leadership over these many years and others like Barbara Worth, Ed Tobias and Brad Kalbfeld who maintained a focus on quality and trust consistent with the brand. Staffers across the country were responsible for the state reports also heavily relied upon by local stations, many of whom would provide news tips on important, breaking stories at all hours of the day.
A former boss of the outfit, Jim Hood, did an excellent job recapping what happened.
We know time marches on, as the old radio show was titled in the 30s and 40s. And when it does, it claims a few casualties.
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Diana Heidgerd - I’m truly sad over the shutdown of the AP Broadcast Wire, something that helped guide my early TV & radio career in the Midwest and went on to become a mainstay of my work life for 30 years as Texas AP broadcast editor in Dallas.
My heart fell when I read the Connecting story about how the AP Broadcast Wire was no more as of a few weeks ago.
I’m serious when I say it helped define my journalism career, starting in 1978 when I was an intern at a TV station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and learned to rip Broadcast Wire copy and hang it on spikes near the 66-words-per-minute clickety-clack AP machine. That continued on to a stint in radio in Huron, South Dakota, before joining AP in early 1983 in Miami and two years later moving to Dallas.
I think of all the friendly folks who’d answer the phone at the Broadcast News Center in Washington or message with me. It seems like everyone at the BNC was juggling AP Broadcast Wire copy, audio and everything in between. I built lifelong friendships with people like Jerry Bodlander. I always knew I’d hear a welcoming voice if Pat Fergus was running the desk or Dave Lubeski or Jack Briggs picked up the phone in sports. I stole and used a favorite phrase from Thelma LeBrecht, who would answer the phone and then politely put me on hold by saying “Stand By.” And who could forget the poise and helpfulness of other longtime BNC folks such as David Melendy, Mike Hammer, Oscar Wells Gabriel and Kathryn Loomans.
So farewell to the AP Broadcast Wire and everyone who dedicated their professional lives to providing clear, concise copy to us all.
And I still say “this is the broadcast version” or “give me the broadcast version” when it comes to telling or hearing a good story – thanks to the AP Broadcast Wire.
A new structure for US News
Executive Editor Julie Pace, in this announcement to AP’s worldwide staff:
Earlier this year, we announced an upgraded AP news offering for our customers in the U.S. – one that is faster and more comprehensive when news is breaking, more visual and more attuned to the needs of digital publishers and their audiences. Today we’re excited to announce a new structure for the U.S. News team that will allow us to deliver on those commitments. Importantly, these are also changes that will create growth and development opportunities for our journalists and put more of you in position to do the kind of work you came to the AP to do.
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Beginning this fall, we will move away from four separate U.S. regions to become one news gathering team that covers the country as a single unit. We will also launch a unified text editing desk for the U.S. and a single video production team. We’ll hold town halls tomorrow to answer your questions, and smaller group meetings next week to discuss the new structure in more detail. An FAQ is also attached.
We know these are big changes, especially after 15 years under a regional structure in the U.S. But the news industry and the needs of our customers and audiences have changed significantly during that time. It’s crucial that the AP adapts so we can succeed both now and in the future.
This realignment in news gathering will allow us to seamlessly leverage our 50-state footprint and surge resources to the biggest breaking stories, wherever they’re happening. It will give our journalists at every level the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across the AP on the biggest stories of the day.
Our production changes will also bring more consistency and continuity to the final product we’re delivering for customers and our audiences. The new structure will also create more pathways for growth in production, something many of you have been asking for. The move to unified production teams in text and video in the U.S. follows the April launch of the global photo desk, which has given us incredible flexibility and helped us prioritize breaking news. In the coming months we plan to join the U.S. and international text editing desks into a similar, 24/7 global desk that “follows the sun.”
Even with these changes, most of our field journalists and production staff will continue to cover and produce the news as they are today. However, the new structure will create new leadership opportunities across the U.S., and we’re excited that we’ll today be posting for the following positions:
Two U.S. deputy news directors who will be responsible for overseeing breaking news assignments across the country, helping determine the top stories of the day and how AP will respond. They’ll take a “story first” approach to the coverage, ensuring we’re competitive in whatever format is best suited to tell a story.
A third U.S. deputy news director will be responsible for beats and topics that intersect regularly with the biggest stories, including race and ethnicity, immigration, state government and law enforcement. All three deputies will join Katie Oyan, deputy news director for local news success, on the U.S. leadership team and all will report to Josh Hoffner.
Two U.S. deputy directors for text production. These deputies will ensure our text filing is competitive, fast and consistent. They will work closely with the news gathering deputy news directors, helping shape the agenda around breaking and spot stories, and planned events. They will report to Derl McCrudden.
A U.S. planning editor responsible for next-day coverage and planning of major events. The planning editor will also report to Josh and will build off the strong culture of planning that is ingrained in our international regions.
A deputy director of photography who will be an essential ally to the U.S. News team and the photographers who are part of that staff, providing photo leadership and support for our daily coverage. This deputy director will report to David Ake and be a counterpart to Tony Hicks, our international photo deputy, and our video executive producers: Tom Williams in the U.S. and Niko Price and Tanja Popovic in London. The EPs report to Sara Gillesby, our new head of global video.
Postings for additional opportunities in news gathering and production will follow in the weeks ahead – and we are eager to talk with all of you about your futures and how you will play a part in this new structure. We see a lot of opportunities for staff to collaborate on big stories, gain format expertise and grow their careers. Ultimately, we are confident this new structure will put our journalists in better position to do the kind of work they came here to do.
We know this is a big change and you will have a lot of questions. We look forward to talking more at U.S. News town halls tomorrow.
(Shared by Lauren Easton)
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Connecting wishes Happy Birthday |
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Stories of interest
US: Syrian government is holding American journalist Tice (AP)
By BASSEM MROUE
BEIRUT (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday the U.S. is certain that the Syrian government is holding American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in the war-torn country a decade ago. He urged Damascus to help bring Tice back home.
Biden’s comments came in a statement released by the White House to mark the 10th anniversary of Tice’s abduction, which took place when he was in Syria covering its now lengthy conflict. They were the clearest indication so far that the U.S. is certain Tice is being held by the government of President Bashar Assad.
Tice went missing shortly after his 31st birthday on Aug. 14, 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of the capital Damascus. A video released a month later showed him blindfolded and held by armed men, saying “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since.
“We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria,” Biden said in the statement adding that “we have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.”
Read more here. Shared by Adolphe Bernotas.
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Opinion Josh Hawley, senator-as-symptom of a broken news business (Washington Post)
By George F. Will
Columnist
Like an infant feeling ignored and seeking attention by banging his spoon on his highchair tray, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) last week cast the only vote against admitting Finland and Sweden to NATO. He said adding the two militarily proficient Russian neighbors to NATO would somehow weaken U.S. deterrence of China.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who is an adult and hence not invariably collegial, said: “It would be strange indeed for any senator who voted to allow Montenegro or North Macedonia into NATO to turn around and deny membership to Finland and Sweden.” That evening, Hawley appeared on Fox News to receive Tucker Carlson’s benediction.
This umpteenth episode of a senator using the Senate as a stepping stone to a cable television green room illustrates what Chris Stirewalt deplores in his new book, “Broken News.” He was washed out of Fox News by a tsunami of viewer rage because on election night 2020 he correctly said Donald Trump had lost Arizona. Now he says today’s journalism has a supply-side problem — that is, supplying synthetic controversies:
Read more here. Shared by Dennis Conrad, Scott Charton, Michael Rubin, Sibby Christensen.
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“CALL IT A SELF-IMPOSED TERM LIMIT”: WHY MEDIA CRITIC MARGARET SULLIVAN IS EXITING THE WASHINGTON POST (Vanity Fair)
BY CHARLOTTE KLEIN
Margaret Sullivan, one of the foremost chroniclers of the media, made headlines of her own on Wednesday after it was announced that she’d be leaving The Washington Post at the end of this month. “Call it a self-imposed term limit!” Sullivan told me over email Wednesday, shortly after the news broke that she’d be retiring her must-read media column after six and a half years. Sullivan has provided incisive analysis and criticism of the industry—and consistently sounded the alarm on the decline of local news—over the course of roughly 500 columns, which, to her, was enough. “I do feel that the media column had run its course,” she said.
Sullivan, a former chief editor of The Buffalo News, came to the Post after a widely respected, four-year tenure as the public editor of The New York Times (which entirely eliminated the in-house critic role less than a year after Sullivan’s successor took over). How does she feel she’s impacted the industry in her decade writing on it? “I’m not sure it’s possible to make much of an impact. I’ve tried to choose column topics, both at the Post and the Times, that not only interest me but have sort of public-interest value. At its best, journalism is crucial to the way our democracy and our society function—not only in its watchdog role but in fairly and accurately digging out and chronicling what’s going on, especially in government coverage,” Sullivan said. “So I have pointed out the all-too-ingrained practices that obstruct that common good: the horse race politics coverage; the way we too often treat unequal things as if they were equal, often from a defensive position; the too-frequent anonymity given to sources with highly politicized motives.” She added that she’s “tried to celebrate good work when I see it, which is often. ‘Catch them doing something right’ is the idea there.”
Read more here. Shared by Myron Belkind.
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Russian journalist detained, charged over war criticism (AP)
By The Associated Press
Russian authorities detained a former state TV journalist who quit after staging an on-air protest against Moscow’s war in Ukraine and charged her Wednesday with spreading false information about Russia’s armed forces, according to her lawyer.
Marina Ovsyannikova was charged over a separate street protest last month, when she held up a banner that said “(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is a killer, his soldiers are fascists. 352 children have been killed (in Ukraine). How many more children should die for you to stop?”
If tried and convicted, Ovsyannikova faces up to 10 years in prison under a new law that penalizes statements against the military and that was enacted shortly after Russian troops moved into Ukraine, her lawyer, Dmitry Zakhvatov, said in a Telegram post.
Read more here. Shared by Adolphe Bernotas.
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Founding Fox News Channel anchor Uma Pemmaraju, 64, who was born in India and interviewed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Donald Trump in her long broadcasting career, dies aged 64 (Daily Mail)
By JAMES GORDON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
One of the founding Fox News Channel anchors, Uma Pemmaraju, has died at the age of 64.
Pemmaraju was behind the anchor desk when the cable news channel launched in October 1996.
At the time, she was one of the only Indian-American news anchors who had managed to make it to the national level.
'We are deeply saddened by the death of Uma Pemmaraju, who was one of Fox News Channel's founding anchors and was on the air the day we launched.
Her cause of death was not immediately made public.
Read more here. Shared by Mark Mittelstadt.
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Today in History – Aug. 11, 2022
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Today is Thursday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2022. There are 142 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Aug. 11, 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the historic line-item veto, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (However, the U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the veto as unconstitutional.)
On this date:
In 1860, the nation’s first successful silver mill began operation near Virginia City, Nevada.
In 1919, Germany’s Weimar Constitution was signed by President Friedrich Ebert.
In 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island (a former military prison) in San Francisco Bay.
In 1949, President Harry S. Truman nominated General Omar N. Bradley to become the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign lasting nearly 47 years.
In 1956, abstract painter Jackson Pollock, 44, died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York.
In 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly Black Watts section of Los Angeles.
In 1992, the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping-entertainment center, opened in Bloomington, Minnesota.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton named Army Gen. John Shalikashvili (shah-lee-kash-VEE’-lee) to be the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, succeeding the retiring Gen. Colin Powell.
In 2014, Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams, 63, died in Tiburon, California, a suicide.
In 2016, the Obama administration said it had decided marijuana would remain on the list of most dangerous drugs, rebuffing growing support across the country for broad legalization, but said it would allow more research into its medical uses.
In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate; Harris was the first Black woman on a major party’s presidential ticket. The newly elected district attorney in Portland, Oregon, said he would not prosecute people arrested on non-violent misdemeanor charges during protests.
Ten years ago: Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney announced his choice of Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to be his running mate. Usain Bolt capped his perfect London Olympics by leading Jamaica to victory in a world-record 36.84 seconds in the 4x100 meters. Allyson Felix won her third gold medal as the Americans rolled to an easy victory in the women’s 4x400 relay.
Five years ago: A federal judge ordered Charlottesville, Virginia, to allow a weekend rally of white nationalists and other extremists to take place at its originally-planned location downtown. (Violence erupted at the rally, and a woman was killed when a man plowed his car into a group of counterprotesters.) President Donald Trump unleashed fresh threats against North Korea, warning Kim Jong Un that he “will regret it fast” if he takes any action against U.S. territories or allies. Two passenger trains collided outside Egypt’s port city of Alexandria, killing 43 people.
One year ago: The Taliban seized three more Afghan provincial capitals and a local army headquarters, completing a blitz across the country’s northeast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all pregnant women to get the COVID-19 vaccine as hospitals in hot spots around the U.S. saw disturbing numbers of unvaccinated mothers-to-be seriously ill with the virus. California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history continued to grow after destroying more than 1,000 buildings, nearly half of them homes, in the northern Sierra Nevada.
Today’s Birthdays: Songwriter-producer Kenny Gamble is 79. Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) is 79. Magazine columnist Marilyn Vos Savant is 76. Country singer John Conlee is 76. Singer Eric Carmen is 73. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 72. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 69. Singer Joe Jackson is 68. Playwright David Henry Hwang is 65. Actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is 63. Actor Viola Davis is 57. Actor Embeth Davidtz is 57. Actor Duane Martin is 57. Actor-host Joe Rogan is 55. R&B musician Chris Dave is 54. Actor Anna Gunn is 54. Actor Ashley Jensen is 54. Actor Sophie Okonedo (oh-koh-NAY’-doh) is 54. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 54. Hip-hop artist Ali Shaheed Muhammad is 52. Actor Nigel Harman is 49. Actor Will Friedle is 46. Rock singer Ben Gibbard is 46. Actor Rob Kerkovich is 43. Actor Merritt Wever is 42. Actor Chris Hemsworth is 39. Rock musician Heath Fogg (Alabama Shakes) is 38. Rapper Asher Roth is 37. Actor Alyson Stoner is 29.
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Got a story or photos to share? |
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Connecting is a daily newsletter published Monday through Friday that focuses on retired and former Associated Press employees, present-day employees, and news industry and journalism school colleagues. It began in 2013 and past issues can be found by clicking Connecting Archive in the masthead. Its author, Paul Stevens, retired from the AP in 2009 after a 36-year career as a newsman in Albany and St. Louis, correspondent in Wichita, chief of bureau in Albuquerque, Indianapolis and Kansas City, and Midwest vice president based in Kansas City.
Got a story to share? A favorite memory of your AP days? Don't keep them to yourself. Share with your colleagues by sending to Ye Olde Connecting Editor. And don't forget to include photos!
Here are some suggestions:
- Connecting "selfies" - a word and photo self-profile of you and your career, and what you are doing today. Both for new members and those who have been with us a while.
- Second chapters - You finished a great career. Now tell us about your second (and third and fourth?) chapters of life.
- Spousal support - How your spouse helped in supporting your work during your AP career.
- My most unusual story - tell us about an unusual, off the wall story that you covered.
- "A silly mistake that you make"- a chance to 'fess up with a memorable mistake in your journalistic career.
- Multigenerational AP families - profiles of families whose service spanned two or more generations.
- Volunteering - benefit your colleagues by sharing volunteer stories - with ideas on such work they can do themselves.
- First job - How did you get your first job in journalism?
- Most unusual place a story assignment took you.
Paul Stevens
Editor, Connecting newsletter
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