J-school numbers are growing, but how will the next crop find work?

Advances in technology means the next crop of journalists have more opportunities for connecting with readers.
But the media industry's turmoil has left them searching for ways to make a living from the craft, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Although a recent survey says only six in 10 journalism graduates were able to find employment within one year of leaving school, the programs are granting more degrees than ever.
How does the growing number of those seeking a career in journalism play out with the current realities of the industry?
Check out this anecdote from the story:

At 21, Alana Taylor has already seen her career in journalism transformed and perhaps cut short by the technology reshaping the news business. She arrived at New York University four years ago thinking about a career in magazines. That morphed quickly to blogging, the faster way to get her writing noticed, she thought. But realizing that $15 per post wasn't going to pay rent and grocery bills, she took a job with a tech startup this summer in a market research gig. For now, Taylor considers journalism a hobby. "I try to keep freelancing on my mind," she said, but the few opportunities that come along tend to pay little if anything.

GM to take future liability claims

The Associated Press reported today that General Motors will take responsibility for for future product liability claims, making it easier for the company to sell its assets and come out of its Chapter 11 a new company.
While GM did not offer this willingly (its hand was forced to take liability in order to sell assets,)it will help consumers hold GM accountable for defective vehicles it previously would not have assumed any liability for. From the story:

"The fact that 'New GM' will protect consumers injured by defective 'Old GM' cars is a positive development for public safety," The Ad Hoc Committee of Consumer Victims of Chrysler and GM said in a statement released Saturday. But the group said more needs to be done, noting that GM's concession doesn't help people that have already been hurt by its vehicles. It also said consumers hurt by fellow automaker Chrysler LLC still have little recourse."

View the story here.

Register parent names new CEO

The board of Freedom Communications Inc., parent company of the Orange County Register, named Burl Osborne as interim chief executive, Tuesday.

Osborne is replacing Scott Flanders, who is leaving Freedom Communications at the end of June for a similar position at Playboy Enterprises Inc..
Osborne has served as an independent director on Freedom’s board since May 2004. He also served as Associated Press chairman from 2002 to 2007, and Dallas Morning News publisher from 1986 to 2001.

View the story here.

AP will lower newspaper fees and increase online revenue

The Associated Press hopes to negotiate more licensing deals with Web sites while lowering fees for U.S. newspapers, Chief Executive Tom Curley said Tuesday.

The AP is trying to find new sources of revenue to offset reduced income from newspapers and broadcasters.

In addition to having an increased interest in online advertising, the AP is again lowering its cost to U.S. papers next year.

The AP had lowered U.S. newspapers by $30 million this year. The AP will now reduce fees by a total of $45 million for newspapers and broadcasters next year, Curley said.

AP's actions are a response to a shift of more ads to less-expensive alternatives on the Internet. Its four largest online deals are now with Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and AOL.

Get the full story here.

AP Stylebook adds business terminology

Business news is gaining popularity and the Associated Press' new entries for their 2009 edition Stylebook is proof that business journalism coverage is making an impact on both the industry and world.
Business terms such as credit default swaps and derivatives have been added to the book due to more frequent usage during the global recession, The AP announced this week. 
Other business terms added to the 2009 Stylebook are collateralized debt obligations, Libor, recession-proof, reverse auction, securitization and solvency.

Click here for more information on the changes made to the Associated Press Stylebook 2009 edition.

Last day to ask your questions

Today marks the last day that you can submit questions to John M. Geddes, managing editor of the New York Times.

Prior to working for the Times, Geddes has held posts at BIS Strategic Decisions, The Wall Street Journal and the A.P.-Dow Jones News Service.

Email your questions to askthetimes@nytimes.com.

Click here for more information.

Associated Press buys out veteran staff

Word that the Associated Press is offering buyouts got out Monday. The buyouts were offered three weeks ago with little publicity. The News Media Guild said the move was part of AP's attempt to reduce its labor costs by 10 percent.
The news organization is offering $500 for each year of service and pension benefits increased 14 to 16 percent.
The offers target hundreds of veteran staff. Employees who take the buyout must be at least 55 years of age, have worked at the AP at least 10 years, and their age and years of service must total up to 75.
View the full story here.

Trib Co. can pay bonuses, not severance

The Associated Press reports that a federal bankruptcy judge ruled that the Tribune Co. can pay more than $13 million in bonuses to almost 700 employees for their work last year.
But the judge denied allowing the Tribune to pay more than $2 million in severance payments to more than 60 employees laid off shortly before the Chicago-based company filed for bankruptcy protection.
From the story:

"We need to motivate and incentivize the key people who will implement change," Bigelow said. "These are really good people we're talking about. They're the best and the brightest of the company."

AP launches economic stress index

The Associated Press is launching an economic stress index that will provide monthly, multi-format updates on the economic stress of the United States down to the county level.
The index weighs three economic variables - unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcy - to produce a score on a scale of 0-100 that measures how the recession is affecting a county compared to all others.
The scores are then plotted on the interactive Associated Press Economic Stress Maps, which demonstrate at a highly local level how economic conditions have deteriorated since October 2007. They also can be used as a tool to measure the progress of recovery in the coming months, providing a granular view of economic change in the United States.

"The AP Economic Stress Index is a valuable tool for analyzing what got us to this point of the recession," said Kristin Gazlay, the AP's managing editor for business news and global training. "But, even more importantly, it gives us a way to look at how things change over time and judge whether the economy is actually getting better, including pinpointing precisely where the recovery has its roots."

St. Louis Post-Dispatch owner reports smaller loss

Lee Enterprises, which owns the St. Louis Post-Dispatch among other papers, reported results for its second fiscal quarter Thursday.
The company posted a loss, but still fared better than it did in the previous quarter, according to the Associated Press via Yahoo! Finance.

The Davenport-based company lost $51.8 million, or $1.16 per share, in the quarter that ended March 29, compared with a loss of $713 million, or $15.90 per share. Excluding one-time costs, its loss was 7 cents per share.

Advertising sales were down 24 percent, with individual categories falling anywhere from 19 percent (retail ads) to 33 percent (classified).
In line with a common trend this quarter, the company showed losses in online advertising of 27 percent. Several other companies have shown similar losses online, where they had been experiencing solid growth for several years.
To read more, click here.

FCC to vote on media ownership

The Federal Communications Commission could approve a proposal today that would overturn a 32-year-old ban and allow broadcasters in the nation's largest media markets to also own a newspaper, according to the Associated Press.
The plan is from Republican Chairman Kevin Martin who says the change is a "relatively minor loosening" of the rule.
Cross-ownership was banned by the FCC more than 30 years ago to promote diversity and economic competition.
The Associated Press reports that under Martin's proposal, "one entity would be permitted to own a newspaper and one broadcast station in the same market. But it must be among the 20 largest in the nation and following the transaction, at least eight independently owned-and-operated media voices must remain. In addition, the television station may not be among the top four in the market."
To read the full report click here.