President's Column

By Laura Walcher

"We'd better watch out, we'd better not cry ..!" Forget Santa Claus. Let's talk journalism.

Item: From Peter Kann, chairman of Dow Jones, comes a Wall Street Journal essay, "The Media Is in Need of Some Mending." He discusses ten trends he finds highly disturbing, including "The blurring of lines between news and opinion," "The exaggerated tendency toward pessimism," and "The media's short attention span."

Item: Departing Union-Tribune ombudsman, Gina Lubrano, discusses the decline of the "paper" version of news, the decline in circulation and the termination of some home delivery.

Item: Thank me for not discussing the assault on media taken up by Time magazine's "Person of the Year," since dozens of others have done so, quite eloquently.

Here and elsewhere, bloggers take over all media for "reporting;" television reporters and camerapeople are blended into "one man bands." And more.

We in media have many challenges in front of us. This must be what horse-and-buggy drivers felt like as cars took over all transportation. I hope this year, your Press Club can contribute to new ideas, and can be a source of encouragement to play an honorable, yet contemporary media game.

At its helm, I'm following a long line of strong leadership. Just in the past few years, Ron James and Robert Griswold have led the Club into good health in finances and membership, and a wealth of activities -- news forums, tributes, networking and entertaining events, community collaboration and more. We'll use and expand these, and perhaps you'll send new members and new ideas our way. A fine board is "on" board in a big way. Follow us into an exciting year - and if it means a little reinvention in our profession, so be it. Like I said, while we'd better watch out ... we'd better not cry!

Here's to a creative and prosperous New Year!

Posted Jan. 2007