Construction Writers Association Covers Topics Ranging from Advocacy Journalism to Plagiarism, Custom Publishing to Katrina's Aftermath
December, 2005
(Buffalo Grove, IL) The Construction Writers Association held its 2005 midyear meeting in Chicago this fall. In addition to awarding the CWA 2005 Marketing Communications Awards and CWA 2005 Website Awards, the association held two major educational sessions.
Fundamentals of Construction Writing:
Advocacy Journalism, Plagiarism vs. Copyright, Keys to Award-Winning Journalism
The Fundamentals of Construction Writing session began with Robert Cassidy detailing advocacy journalism. Cassidy, the editor-in-chief of Building Design & Construction magazine, stirred much controversy with his scathing editorials on renovations to Soldier Field, which is home to the National Football League's Chicago Bears. He has also produced two award-winning white papers on sustainable building.
Much of Cassidy's presentation focused on white papers and whether such projects are worth an editor's time and effort. White papers, he explained, should tackle the hot issues in the industry but need to offer much more than an explanation or analysis of the topic. Editors authoring a white paper must take a position and make recommendations for action, otherwise the publication will have little impact on readership, he said.
No matter how hot the topic, however, Cassidy noted that a white paper requires a tremendous amount of work and is, in his words, "not really worth it."
Mark Partridge, a partner in the Chicago-based law firm Pattishall, McAuliffe, Hilliard & Geraldson, addressed many ethical areas of construction journalism, notably plagiarism and copyright and the differences between the two. Partridge defined plagiarism as academic dishonesty whereby one uses another's information, language or writing without proper acknowledgement of the original source. It is, he noted, often acceptable to plagiarize; for example, it is considered flattery in jazz music.
Copyright infringements occur when a tangible expression from another source is used without permission or the right to copy. Tangible mediums of expression include literary works, musical works and sound recordings. Neither facts, concepts nor ideas are subject to copyright; however, the way they are expressed or presented is subject to copyright.
Partridge said copyright violations often draw harsh penalties, whereas as plagiarism usually results in little more than a slap on the wrist. The final construction writing fundamentals session focused on "The Keys to Award-Winning Journalism," presented by Jim Olsztynski, editor-in-chief of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine - a 28-year industry veteran and recipient of enough journalism awards to fill an entire resume. He spoke from the perspective of editorial management.
The often quoted, but rarely acted on, cliché "work smart, not hard," is a practice fundamental to becoming a successful journalist, according to Olsztynski. Working smart has many components, including hiring the right people, picking the correct columnists, effectively using materials from public relations professionals, delegating tasks and responsibilities, and taking advantage of technology.
Olsztynski advised editors to treat staff right, praising in public but criticizing in private. Ask their opinions and delegate responsibility intelligently while at the same time taking care to place more value on respecting your writers than befriending them. Friendship, he noted, can often be destructive in an organization.
And while many long-time editors fail to incorporate the new ways of not only their younger, tech savvy employees, but the technology itself, Olsztynski issued this reminder: keep up with the traffic or move to the slow lane.
Midyear Meeting:
Custom Publishing, Healthcare Facility Trends, Publishing Online, and Covering Katrina
The Midyear Meeting session opened with a panel discussion on custom publishing, moderated by CWA President Jennifer Prokopy, principal of Orange Grove Media. Panel members included Jeff White, principal of Two Rivers Marketing, Pete Sobic, president of Northbrook Publishing, and Ross Foti, editorial director of Imagination Publishing. They approached the question: how does custom publishing fit into the marketing effort?
The panelists emphasized that custom publications are a way for associations or manufacturers to penetrate new markets and create rapport with established customers. "The objective of a custom publication is to build an affinity through education," White said. White noted that he does not recommend custom publications in lieu of saturation in trade media or as disguise for direct mail.
Sobic suggested that these publications be testimonial driven. "If they're in the voice of the client or end-user, it's a lot more credible." He noted that he discourages clients from thinking that a custom publication could be an outside revenue stream.
Readership surveys can help custom publications become "living" magazines, specifically customized through readers' feedback. "That's what customization is all about-tailoring a message," Foti said. Custom publishers need to understand the goals of an organization before creating a custom publication, which he said can increase visibility and position an organization as a thought leader.
Each panelist stressed the importance of editorial integrity within custom publishing. "Readers know propaganda when they see it," Sobic said. "Custom publications won't last if readers don't accept them."
Next up were Timothy Gregg and Kenneth Kaiser, principals with Proteus Group, a Chicago architecture, interior design, and engineering firm with wide experience in the healthcare market. They gave attendees an overview of the trends in healthcare that are driving construction in that market.
Gregg and Kaiser said construction is on the rise for community access hospitals, specialty hospitals (like heart or orthopedic hospitals), referral hospitals, and critical access hospitals for suburban and rural areas. However, "the real volume of hospital construction is in renovation and additions, not new construction," said Kaiser.
The need for greater security and more advanced facilities to develop robotics and telemedicine technologies, as well as staff reductions and aging of healthcare employees, are also influencing facility design and construction. "The facilities have to be more efficient to do more with less staff," Gregg said.
An animated discussion on "Media Trends" featured Judy Schriener, editor-in-chief for McGraw-Hill Construction's Construction.com, and Ellis Booker, editor of BtoB magazine. They conversed with each other and attendees about how print and online media influence and change each other. The discussion focused on a print publication's online content, particularly webcasts, RSS feeds, podcasts, and Web logs, or "blogs."
On blogs, Booker asked, "Does a publication need it? Is it profitable? Is it credible?"
Booker and Schriener then discussed the ethical issues surrounding the proliferation of blogs, both in the blogging community (or "blogosphere") and in established media outlets. They questioned how magazines and newspapers should label blogs- which often feature commentary interspersed throughout reporting on current events-within editorial content. For Construction.com, Schriener writes the blog, "Diggin' Deeper," which is introduced on the site as "an ongoing mix of facts, snippets, observations, opinions and analysis."
The two also discussed how magazines might find profit in online content like webcasts, which require large investments, when so much of what is found on the Internet today is free.
"The web has brought up issues that have long been settled in the print world," Schriener said.
Tom Sawyer, an associate editor for Engineering News-Record, closed Friday's session with a presentation of his experiences as an embedded reporter in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. Sawyer, as part of an ENR team of reporters, was assigned to the New Orleans area to cover the storm's aftermath and the effect it had on structures.
Sawyer said he was struck that, in the wake of 9/11, mainstream media was focused on personal stories of loss, firemen, police, but no one was looking at the construction industry, which was charged with responding. In coverage of Katrina, ENR's pre-positioned reporters wanted to know which resources, roads, power stations, were out or damaged.
Sawyer wanted his photographs to document the problems for the record; he hopes that construction professionals will be able to refer to them when studying the failure of the levees and the wind damage. He showed photographs of levees that were destroyed by water flowing underneath them, rather than breaking through. There were also photos of high-rise buildings with windows blown out in concave portions of the façade and windows intact in the convex portions.
Structural damages such as these, and the questions they raised, are what Sawyer wanted to quickly relate to ENR's audience as well, he said. "These are the things that I wanted to accurately report on and convey early so that it could inform the reconstruction," he said.
The Construction Writers Association, founded in 1958, is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for journalists, writers, editors, photographers, publicists, and marketing communications professionals serving the information needs of the construction industry. In addition to its journalism, photography, marketing communications and website awards programs, CWA provides educational opportunities for its members. By providing opportunities for networking, education, recognition, and fellowship, CWA helps foster a strong community-and improve the quality of construction writing. For more information, visit the Construction Writers Association website at www.constructionwriters.org.
For information:
Deborah J. Hodges
Executive Director
P.O. Box 14784
Chicago, Illinois 60614
Telephone 773 687-8726
Fax 773 687-8627
info@constructionwriters.org