I think it's fine and inevitable and yadda, yadda, yadda -- I have nothing against the concept of allowing in other media. However, as long as we haven't given up on newspapers -- as we still search for solutions to save them -- is it not counterproductive to eliminate specialization for industry conventions and the like? Won't the risk be that discussions about newspapers become diluted, thus making it even more unlikely that solutions can be found? For instance, if APSE were to open membership to, say, TV people, wouldn't something be lost, and wouldn't the glitz and money of TV begin to dominate the organization? No disrespect to the veteran newspaper journalists who have joined major news and sports Web sites, but this week's Poynter eye-tracking report seems to indicate that our readers and theirs behave differently, and the people producing Web and print need distinct strategies. There is absolutely nothing wrong with newspaper journalists becoming more Web savvy, but this should be in addition to, not in place of. If editors wish to join organizations that encompass all media, fine, but I believe there still needs to be newspaper-only discussions if we are to get anywhere.
