Andy Mendelson, associate professor at Temple University, talks about how journalism departments are adapting to the changes in media. Mendelson says the changes are slow but there are individual professors within colleges and universities who are teaching new media skills.
Watch the Andy Mendelson interview

It was quite the striking announcement from my old employer, Gannett, that it will de-emphasize the print edition of USA Today and instead focus on new distribution channels of online, mobile devices and tablets ... kind of changing from "what" to "how." And, in the process, lay off about 130 employees.

I used to work with USAT, though not for it, and in my estimation the toughest problem in this transition is that in no way can it move from the hotel room market and compete online directly with the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, whose staffs are frankly more skilled and accomplished. Take a look at the Gannettoids' anonymous commenting site and see for yourself ... the semi-literate whining is an embarrassment.

Yet with ad revenue down 11 percent in the first quarter and circulation down 14 percent from a year ago because of the decline in travel, Gannett clearly had to do something, and it looks as if it may be leapfrogging others in the digital transformation.

If it is to succeed in the new arena, USAT will have to improve journalistically with niche markets ... and with survival being a strong incentive, I think it will. What to do exactly? I'm out of space ... I'll have a few ideas in my next post.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Andy Nelson, the R.M. Seaton Professional Journalism Chair at Kansas State University's A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication and former staff photographer for the Christian Science Monitor, talks about the changes that are taking place in journalism schools. He says that although students need to keep up with the rapidly changing technologies, the newest computer or digital camera is useless without strong writing, reporting and storytelling skills.

Watch the Andy Nelson interview

Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart in Austin, Texas, talks about a unique program and explains how the Girlstart Technology Center is helping girls in the Austin area learn about science, technology, engineering and math. Hudgins says the girls learn about their future potential as STEM workers and learn to embrace exploration.

Read the Tamara Hudgins interview 

I have contended on this site that if newspapers are to survive, most of them will have to 1) switch to online and stop or curtail printing, 2) go local so they can offer a promotable specialty and 3) charge for it.

Now, with the advent of e-readers that make such a transition possible, comes some exciting news: about 40 percent of people owning a Kindle, iPad or Sony Reader say they read more than they did with print books, and 58 percent read about the same ... according to this story in the Wall Street Journal.

What's more, Amazon says its customers buy more than three times as many books once they have a Kindle. While many people (including me) still prefer the print version of papers, magazines and books, the fact that e-readers seem to increase reading is one of the few bright spots for the journalism industry.

On the Media Game blog is written by Gerry Storch.

Watch the Tom Ksizaek interview

Every staff-written story in the Orange County Register from now on will carry a mug shot of the writer, according to this report by Kevin Roderick in laobserved.com.

When I worked at newspapers, except for very special stories, only the columnists had the privilege of a photo. This was to promote the columns and make them stand out. As for the regular stories, the emphasis was on the story content itself, not the person who wrote it.

This is an erosion of the purity of a newspaper, making columns and stories virtually interchangeable visibly. It's interesting that the change was proposed to the Register by an outside consultant and did not stem from the journalists themselves.

I can't say it's wrong, though. It's like the issue of ads on the previously sacrosanct front page ... the Register like most other papers is struggling and if reporter mug shots can help it connect better with readers, sobeit.

On the Media Game is written by Gerry Storch.

Michael Bugeja, director of Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism, talks about transparency, media, the internet and how WikiLeaks has affected reporting. He says, "I'm all for transparency, as every journalist and journalism educator should be; but transparency involving transmission of secret or sensitive documents during war can be catastrophic for servicemen and women or the allies and partners who work alongside them."

Read the Michael Bugeja interview

In between my usual workout at the Naples Fitness Center, I picked up a magazine I hadn't heard of before ... Reminisce. It's an oldtimey mag that "brings back the good times."

One item featured a picture from a woman who was 13 in 1934 on her family's farm in Iowa and had built a paper airplane kite with a 4-foot wingspan from a kit from Post bran cereal after sending in boxtops.

I started to wonder who's getting the better upbringing ... a self-reliant teen-age girl in the sticks during the Depression or today's teen-age girls sitting in the suburban mall merrily sexting away. The mall girls would think they are, any intelligent person would question that ... but that's what a print publication is supposed to do ... entertain, illuminate and make you think ... and why I always enjoy it when I find it.

On the Media Game is written by Gerry Storch.

Glenn Frankel, Pulitzer Prize winner, former Washington Post editor, foreign correspondent and incoming director of the School of Journalism of the University of Texas at Austin, talks about how the new media landscape is forcing journalism departments to reevaluate what they teach. He says journalism students will shape the new media world and educators must help them develop the values, sensibility and tools to be successful.

Read the Glenn Frankel interview 

Stephen Virgilio, professor at Adelphi University, talks about childhood obesity and the involvement of America's public schools. Virgilio says the goal of any school should be the health and wellbeing of the children attending, but reminds us that parents and communities should not depend solely on the school to combat the issue.

Read the Stephen Virgilio interview

Jimmy Sorrells, VP at INTEGRITY Global Security, talks about the WikiLeaks controversy and why classified information is falling into the hands of the public. Sorrells says that out of date technology and a non-hierarchal method of classifying information has created such problems and offers suggestions to control the global problem. He says, "In order to fix the problem and make sure another breach such as this does not occur, organizations are going to have to embrace processes and technology that will not allow a single person, regardless of rank or position, to have the sole authority to access such large volumes of classified data."

Read the Jimmy Sorrells interview