American Editor
This year the committee plans to focus on the president’s theme of “Unleashing the Watchdogs.” Stories are planned on the state of investigative journalism and how small newspapers can get in on the act. We plan to produce a special issue on the topic later in the year. We’re also going to feature a look at blogging and the changing world of sports journalism. We’ve started the planning, but we’re by no means finished. Join the committee, share your ideas and help us make the magazine the best it can be. Warren E. Watson, Ball State University, Muncie, IN (Committee Co-Chair); Neil Brown, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL (Committee Co-Chair).

Awards Board
Members are appointed to this committee, which selects winners of eight awards that recognize excellence in writing and photography. The board will uphold ASNE’s efforts to increase newspaper credibility by assuring that prize-winning entries meet the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and source attribution Peter K. Bhatia, The Oregonian, Portland, OR (Committee Chair).

Convention Program
The 2006 ASNE convention will be held in Seattle, April 25 – 28, at the Westin Hotel. We're planning a program that blends issues and experiences unique to the Northwest with those connected to the ASNE theme for the year, "Unleashing the Watchdog." We hope to set up a tour of Microsoft prior to the opening of the convention. And we’re already planning for "investigative moments" throughout the convention schedule in hopes of inspiring editors to share stories of good investigative journalism. We're looking for more help or just ideas if you're already committed to another committee. W. Martin Kaiser, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee, WI (Committee Co-Chair); Joyce M. Terhaar, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, CA (Committee Co-Chair).

Craft Development
The committee will work on developing tools and methods to help newspapers of all sizes deliver quality investigative journalism. We will collaborate with others, including the Investigative Reporters and Editors. In addition, the committee will continue to work closely with the ASNE-American Press Institute partnership on The Learning Newsroom and begin to deliver the learnings gained from experiences in newsrooms participating in the project. David Boardman, The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA (Committee Chair).

Diversity
The committee supports all of the longstanding diversity goals of ASNE within the Society and before other journalism and educational groups. It keeps the diversity goals in front of the membership as much as possible through the pages of The American Editor and the ASNE Website. We will continue to enhance the work of the Diversity Leadership Institute in giving top editors the tools to bring changes in content, staffing and leadership to their newspapers. And we’ll work to involve ASNE in other excellent diversity programs, including the annual workshop at Columbia University. Sharon Rosenhause, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Committee Chair).

Education for Journalism
The committee will undertake several projects in the coming year. We will produce at least two articles for The American Editor, one a comparison of various journalism education models - including exemplary ones at schools that do not offer journalism majors - and a second on partnerships between individual newspapers and journalism schools that work to the benefit of both. Additionally, the committee will undertake a research project, of a scope still to be determined, on programs in the academy to educate journalists in specialty areas such as coverage of science, business, arts or religion. Finally, the committee will attempt to assess how well journalism schools provide for what all the accrediting and other guidelines say should be the basis of all journalism training: education in the liberal arts. Saundra E. Keyes, The Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu, HI (Committee Chair).

Ethics and Values
The Ethics and Values Committee will devote itself in the year ahead to promoting deliberation and discussion on the ethics of investigative, or watchdog, journalism, especially the use and abuse of anonymous sourcing. In particular, in cooperation with the Freedom of Information Committee, we hope to sponsor at least one and possibly several forums that would bring together the best minds in our industry to talk about principles that should guide journalists as they pursue this fundamental responsibility of our craft. N. Don Wycliff, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, IL (Committee Chair).

Freedom of Information
The committee plans to build on last year’s initial success with Sunshine Week, expanding its reach into more newspapers and broadcast outlets and continuing to raise the level of discourse by the public on its right to know. In addition, the committee will actively work with our legal counsel and others in Washington on legislation to strengthen FOIA and help us protect confidential sources as it works its way through Congress. The committee seeks to keep members informed on major issues through e-mail alerts and articles in The American Editor. And we will distribute op-eds on First Amendment issues. Andrew N. Alexander, Cox Newspapers, Washington, DC (Committee Chair).

High School Journalism
The committee is focused on drawing a bright, diverse generation of young people into journalism and instilling an appreciation of the First Amendment among all teens. The project has five core components: at least 30 annual partnerships between newspapers and schools; intensive journalism training for at least 150 high school journalism advisers every summer; www.highschooljournalism.org, the most robust scholastic journalism site on the Web; my.highschooljournalism.org, which provides free online hosting for school newspapers; and the ASNE/KRT Campus High School Newspaper Service, a wire service that has dramatically expanded the resources available to scholastic newspapers. Please join us in working to create the next generation of journalists. Jeffrey D. Cohen, Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX (Committee Chair).

Interactive Media
The committee is dedicated to exploring interactive new media and the role of the editor. Allen Parsons, TimesDaily, Florence, AL (Committee Co-Chair); Ward H. Bushee, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ (Committee Co-Chair).

International
The primary goal of this committee will be to protect the safety and freedom of American journalists working overseas and to foster similar protections for foreign journalists, many of whom work under severe restrictions and under threat of personal harm in their own countries. To promote press freedom and security, the committee will take all reasonable and necessary measures, including but not limited to protest letters and personal visits. We will also aim to promote greater understanding among top-level American editors of emerging issues overseas, primarily through an annual trip that will touch on a wide variety of areas, including economics, politics, culture, and journalism. One initial proposal that can be discussed is a possible trip to Brazil, where there are important political, economic, and environmental developments. Martin Baron, The Boston Globe, Boston, MA (Committee Chair).

Leadership
The committee will seek to help editors, no matter the size of newspaper, build leadership skills and a newsroom culture that improves and sustains investigative reporting. In addition, the committee is responsible for administering the process of choosing the winner of ASNE’s annual Award for Distinguished Leadership. Dean P. Baquet, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA (Committee Chair).

Membership
The committee will endeavor to reverse declining membership through several means: focus on retaining members by surveying them about their needs and reasons for becoming members; using ASNE board members to directly recruit new eligible members and propose offering discounts for multiple memberships at one newspaper. The committee also will work with heads of newspaper groups to encourage increased membership within their ranks. Gilbert Bailon, Al Día, Dallas, TX (Committee Chair).

Nominations
This committee is one of the most critical in ASNE, because it plays a major role in determining who will be selected for candidacy for membership on the board and hence those who are eventually eligible to lead the organization. In the 2005-06 year, we will be looking to add nominees who, if elected, can sustain support for strong investigative journalism – editors of all types, from all types of newspapers, committed to making ASNE members more effective and more efficient at all types of journalism. Milton Coleman, The Washington Post, Washington, DC (Committee Chair).

Readership Issues
The committee will focus on retaining the readers we have and attracting new readers, especially "busy people." The committee will do this by finding best practices and disseminating those ideas to ASNE members. The theme of the project would be: "A Timely Subject – No Time to Read." We will also work with NAA to shape the future readership efforts of our organizations. We're also interested in hearing the interests of committee members at our April 14 meeting. Susan Goldberg, San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, CA (Committee Chair).

Small Newspapers
The committee seeks to help editors of small newspapers do their jobs better and it helps give voice to their needs from ASNE. Specifically, this year the committee will continue to generate editor tips to be distributed on the Web. And it will compile a collection of editor’s tips gleaned from the past three years for publication. Carolina Garcia, Monterey County Herald, Monterey, CA (Committee Chair).