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APSE Judging Thread

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by RedHotChiliPrepper, Mar 7, 2010.

  1. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    I think it has been quite some time, yes.

    As for conventions: There's drinking and eating at judging, but there's a hell of a lot of work, too.

    Not surprisingly, I disagree with apseloser and others who says the judging could be done by mail. Sure it could. But it wouldn't be done as well, and getting together with fellow sports editors is a benefit.

    I make this argument once a year, and this is apparently the time. Many don't listen anyway, but I don't care, to me it's still valid.

    Rampant expense account abuse isn't something I'd condone -- and I worked at a place where we picked up every tab, every time, for much of my time there -- but whenever we get into these things, there's an annoying aspect of the counterargument: That somehow, picking up a tab or whatever is ultimately coming at the expense of some poor shlub who lost his job.

    In other words: Stay away from the conventions, and more people would have work.

    Business budgets don't work that way, never have.

    First of all, while all the major newspaper companies have cut payroll and jobs, they've also cut business expenses. Nobody's traveling like they used to back in the good old days. That's obvious.

    But business expenses are a separate part of the budget. There are tax advantages for the company. Despite what some here continue to say, participation in APSE and APSE judging CAN return to the paper a better sports editor, and ultimately a better section, maybe even one who can find different ways to monetize what they're doing. Yeah, there's some eating and drinking. There's also professional development that certainly aided me in my career, and ultimately, my newspapers, and since this is personal experience, you can dispute it all you want, but it's true. It also, at its most basic, simply energizes you to go back to the office with renewed enthusiasm. Go ahead and knock that notion, but frankly, again it's a dumb argument; it's human nature that when you spend a few days with colleagues from around the country, you're going to want to hit the ground running back at home.

    So guys like apseloser will always stereotype the participants and say it's one big drinkfest and knock the whole process. But I guarantee you: It helped me, it helped the newspapers I worked for, and since I was reasonable in my expenses, it was worth every penny in the long run to the places I worked for. And I'll admit this is so even though some of those APSE sessions were accompanied by a hangover.
     
  2. VJ

    VJ Member

    It doesn't get our job back, but it's nice to see the Washington Times sports section pick up a Top 10 daily and honorable mention for special section.
     
  3. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    Comparing Sunday with Sunday and other days with other days . . .

    My paper's best section in 2010 will be worse than our worst section in 1997.
     
  4. Lynn_Hoppes

    Lynn_Hoppes Member

    Congratulations to the APSE winners so far.

    I'm sorry I couldn't make it down for judging.

    Apseloser, is it OK if I pat them on the back?

    OK, guys, back to ripping me again.
     
  5. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Yup, you do this every year ... and you're right in what you say. Per usual.

    And any expenses brings to mind the Bill Dwyre memo of a few years ago.

    http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2005/04/memo_of_the_wee.php
     
  6. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    Well, of course, in the Golden Years, Dwyre could run up an expense account on a dinner with 10 sports editors with the best of them -- hell, he WAS the best of them. Those were the days.
     
  7. JBHawkEye

    JBHawkEye Well-Known Member

    Early results from today:

    UNDER 40,000
    BREAKING NEWS STORY
    Top 10
    Marc Weiszer, Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald
    Chris Koman and Hugh Kellenberger, (Bloomington, Ind.) Herald-Times
    Dave O’Onofrio, Concord (N.H.) Monitor
    Alicia Johnson, (Glen Falls, N.Y.) Post-Star
    Dugan Arnett, (Lawrence, Kan.) Journal-World
    Patrick Ridgell, (Longmont, Colo.) Daily Times-Call
    Stacy Long, Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser
    Brad Engel and Jason Ivanitz, Naperville (Ill.) Sun
    Jim Seimas and Jennifer Squires, Santa Cruz (Calif.) Sentinel
    Kevin Melton, (Spartanburg, S.C.) Herald-Journal

    OVER 250,000
    EXPLANATORY
    Top 10
    Shira Springer, Boston Globe
    Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press
    Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times
    Mark Kram, Philadelphia Daily News
    Mike Jensen, Philadelphia Inquirer
    Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Michael Kruse and Stephen F. Holder, St. Petersburg Times
    Brent Schrotenboer, San Diego Union-Tribune
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune
    Jon Wilner and Mark Emmons, San Jose Mercury News
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    I don't think apseloser was picking on you. He seems to be more of a chubby chaser.
     
  9. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    Over 250,000 Sunday:

    Top 10
    Boston Globe
    Chicago Tribune
    Dallas Morning News
    Denver Post
    Detroit Free Press
    Kansas City Star
    Miami Herald
    New York Daily News
    New York Times
    St. Petersburg Times

    Honorable Mention
    Baltimore Sun
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Cleveland Plain Dealer
    Houston Chronicle
    Los Angeles Times
    Minneapolis Star-Tribune
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Orlando Sentinel
    South Florida Sun-Sentinel
    Washington Post
     
  10. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    OVER 250,000
    DAILY SECTIONS

    Top 10
    Boston Globe
    Dallas Morning News
    Denver Post
    Kansas City Star
    Los Angeles Times
    Minneapolis Star-Tribune
    New York Times
    Orlando Sentinel
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Washington Post

    Honorable Mention
    Arizona Republic
    Chicago Tribune
    Cleveland Plain Dealer
    Houston Chronicle
    Miami Herald
    Newsday
    Philadelphia Daily News
    South Florida Sun-Sentinel
    St. Petersburg Times
    USA Today
     
  11. WriteThinking

    WriteThinking Well-Known Member

    Awards may not help save your job, but people are still impressed by them and take them into consideration.

    I'm willing to bet they can still help you get a job, and these days, that counts for something.
     
  12. apseloser

    apseloser Member

    After one more snarky post — no top 20 finishes for any AJC section? Wow — Loser has decided to turn over a new leaf and be nicer on this board.

    As his first post with his new 'tude, Loser would like to offer major kudos to the Triple Crown winners — KC, Dallas, P'burgh, Columbia, New Orleans and everyone else. That's an impressive achievement in any era.

    And it's the one honor — decided by 3 sets of judges — where there's clearly no bias.

    Loser does not believe there is bias and does not dispute how hard the judges work, as a former judge himself. Loser isn't as big a fan of the handful of editors who sit in a room and collect the votes from the actual judges.
     
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