From the Executive Director

• Publication year: 2009
• Pages: 0010
• Citation: Vol. 14 No. 5 Pg. 0010

From the Executive Director No. Vol. 14, No. 5, Pg. 10 Georgia Bar Journal February, 2009

by Cliff Brashier

Spreading Lawyers' Good News at the Local Level

The financial woes of the American newspaper industry are no secret. The impact of competition from "new media" in recent years and the national economic downturn have significantly damaged newspaper circulation numbers and advertising revenues. Many major newspaper publishers have downsized their operations and, most notably, The Chicago Tribune's parent company recently filed for bankruptcy.

"Through Cornerstones of Freedom^SM, we are submitting significantly more news releases about Bar programs and projects, awards, leadership elections and appointments than in the past."

To cut costs, major newspapers across the nation are reducing the size of their printed products, their editorial staffs and their coverage areas. For example, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has shifted from statewide daily home delivery to a centralized, metropolitan-focused circulation region in the past year or so.

But despite the emerging dominance of cable channels and the Internet as sources of national and international news, there is evidence that any forecast of newspapers' complete demise may be premature and—as Mark Twain would say—greatly exaggerated.

Since ramping up our efforts to spread the good news of Georgia lawyers through the Cornerstones of Freedom^SM public education program, the State Bar has found that when it comes to the primary source of information about their home communities, people across Georgia still rely on their local newspaper. This is borne out by the response Bar leaders and members are hearing regularly from their neighbors, who have read articles, opinion pieces or letters to the editor about issues affecting the legal profession and the justice system or good news about a local lawyer or judge.

Through Cornerstones of FreedomSM, we are submitting significantly more news releases about Bar programs and projects, awards, leadership elections and appointments than in the past. We have also increased our effort to comment, when appropriate, on current legislative issues and news events through op-ed columns, usually penned by the State Bar president.

A more subtle initiative has been extremely successful in generating ink at the local level. When a lawyer receives some kind of award, or an appointment to a judgeship or a position of leadership in the...