I see by the snailpapers that Adam Chadwick and Bill Loerch are making an important documentary film about the future of the news business ( read exclusive interview here)

Introduction by Danny Bloom in Taiwan: Adam Chadwick and Bill Loerch are at work on a very important documentary that is in progress now. They need additional funding. This blog is printed here today on pixelated screenage in order to help spread the word about their movie, and attract needed funding. They have promised me a follow up interview after the film debuts at Sundance in 2011 or 2012 or 2013....._......I feel this is a very important film and should be completed and shown worldwide. I interviewed Adam (and Bill) in this regard. As follows.

AND SEE Paul Gillin video interview from Newspaper Death Watch Facebook page here: www.facebook.com (go to Newspaper Death Watch in search window)

Newspaper Death Watch's Paul Gillin notes on his Facebook page :

''Adam Chadwick and Bill Loerch are two filmmakers who are trying to chronicle the decline of the US newspaper industry for a documentary film called Fit to Print. Adam is a laid-off New York Times copyeditor and Bill has spent most of his adult life making films. We spent several hours with them on Saturday and came away very impressed with their knowledge and ambition. What they mainly need now is money. Here’s a video interview that tells a little bit about their venture. ''

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=348292035922&ref=mf


Adam's E-MAIL: adamgchadwick@gmail.com

His contact PHONE: 1-720-333-6555

QUESTION: 1. The documentary is called FIT TO PRINT, which is of course a nod to
the NYTimes slogan of "All the News That's Fit to Print", on its
masthead for long time. What does the title of your film mean to you?



ADAM: I came up with the title as a way for people to recognize two things 1) A part of the slogan which, yes the Times uses (however, this isn't a direct nod to them) rather, is a key element for all to recognize a catch phrase which could immediately be associated with print newspapers. 2) "Fit to Print" conjures up an idea of what is "fit" enough, or healthy enough ...or economically viable enough in most cases -- to print.

BLOOM: And what do you hope it will mean to your audiences?



CHADWICK: I hope it will create a question in a sense ...of what truly IS "Fit" or viable, or worthy enough to print in the newspaper. The New York Times created the full length slogan many years ago ...yet at the same time, I don't really think newspaper readers truly question on a day-to-day basis: what, why and how did these stories make it into the printed newspaper. Not to mention the what, why, and how as to the particular layout of newspapers.

BLOOM: What do you hope the title will mean to reporters and editors
writing about the film once its complete and screening around the
world, in terms of how they read the headlines for the story about the
movie and how they use the title in the reporting they do itself?



One point I want to emphasize again, is that this is not a documentary on The New York Times (though we have collected several interviews from prominent Times staff). Rather, I hope that writers and editors (and anyone working in newspapers, journalism, blogs, or any type of writing) will pause for a moment and truly contemplate on what their work means to them personally. Yet at the same time, come to an understanding, that no matter what section or topic you may be writing about ---- there is a cancer that is and HAS been swelling throughout journalism for many years. Writers and editors are paid less and less (if even paid at all) each year. The major North American newspapers have been corporatized and monopolized down to the bone. Technology, new media and the global recession have played a part in this story -- but deregulation on cross-ownership rules and the bottom line of pleasing Wall Street stock holders has crippled this industry and left many career-long professionals by the wayside.
How are you going about raising funds now? How much do you have
already, percentage wise? How much more do you need?



We are paying for this film out of our own pockets. We need all the help we can get with the basics, such as flying to Seattle to visit (for a reunion session we organized) the entire former Seattle Post Intelligencer staff. To San Francisco, to Los Angeles, to Denver, to Detroit, to Chicago and to Miami. We have major newsroom contacts in each of those cities who is ready and willing to step up and tell their detailed stories on how their newspaper companies have violated cross-ownership rules, been corporatized with the backing of political sponsorship, have been monopolized with other television, radio and internet outlets. We also have experts who are prepared to tell the 40 year history of how several North American newspaper companies first adapted to emerging digital technology in the late 1970's and 1980's, and also how advertising revenue changed over the course of that forty year period.

If we can get funding or frequent flier miles, or a car, or a train ticket, or even hitch a ride with someone to any of these cities, it will allow us to use our out-of-pocket expenses to pay our staff (our editor; cameraman; sound man; website developer) are all working for free right now because they believe in the project and feel that if action isn't taken for newspapers and digital news here and now, we will pay dearly for our mistake 5 to 10 years from now (if not sooner).

As with any great documentary (take for example Barbara Kopple's fantastic "Harlan County U.S.A."; Nathan Rissman's "I am Because We Are"; or Andrew Lee's "Easy Street") we are trying to capture the here and now by traveling to these cities. To anyone who cares deeply about this subject ....we could truly use your help.

Can you use the credit card route and use the credit cards to get
the film made and then hope for profits later to repay the credit
bills?



ADAM: We are former newspaper employees living off of unemployment, paying for this film with our own credit cards as is -- so the question of paying for this project that way is already taking place. If anyone is willing to donate whatever amount possible, it will allow us to capture the vital interviews that we already have secured. But we need your help in getting there. We don't care about breaking "Avatar's" box office record for profit with this film. What we do care about is getting to these cities to record the stories of these key newspaper experts to share with our audience.

But there is a sense of urgency to detail this story now before its too late. We don't want to predict the future of newspapers or of digital journalism ...but as we transform from one medium to another, there is something being lost: Good, well-rounded investigative journalism and foreign correspondents bureaus. These are watchdogs to our society and we need to put the spotlight on what is happening right now, and what IS happening is that these trained, resourceful watchdogs are dwindling day after day.

Who are you trying to reach with this film? which audience?
Newspaper execs? Newspaper readers?



ADAM: First and foremost anyone interested in journalism. Anyone interested in newspaper journalism, television broadcast, radio, or internet journalism -- the fact is (as we will detail in this film) that major newspapers set the stage for these other mediums for news. We have several experts from various outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, NPR and others -- who each detail how news is circulated, and it comes from newspaper wires. For instance, The Washington Post will provide a wire service to local and national television news broadcasters who will then pluck the stories they want to cover on that evenings Television broadcast. The same is true with radio and the internet.



We are also creating this project for future journalists (in any medium). Those who are now or perhaps may be in journalism schools in the near future -- this project will detail the in's and out's of what is being taught right now within the classroom (Columbia Journalism School has opened their doors to us. As well, we will be detailing segments from Northwestern and Berkeley schools for Journalism).

Any former, current, or future journalist. This film will ring true for many who are: Concerned, confused, and even excited by the transition with our former and future platforms for news.

Anyone interested in contemporary Newspaper history. We are detailing the window from 1970-2010, respectively. If you're curious to know how things have shaped up during that period of time, this is the documentary for you.
Newspaper editors? Newspaper reporters? Matt Drudge? Bill Gates?
Internet news sites editors and their online readers?



From newspaper reporters, editors, web developers, print pressmen, to delivery truck drivers. Emerging sites such as Huffington post, Slate, Drudge Report.

From Warren Buffett to Mark Cuban.



QUESTION: Where do you plan to show the movie when completed? HBO? Disocvery
Channel? History Channel?



ADAM: Our first objective is to complete a well-rounded documentary. The world of film distribution has changed dramatically over the past several years. We are fully aware of this and are taking the necessary steps to ensure that even the "cutting room floor" footage which is not seen in the feature length doc. will be available online in some form. As far as the major outlets: HBO, Discovery, The History Channel and PBS.... we will reach out to them and hopefully they will be interested. But usually they relay only on their in-house production teams to cover their own stories (of all those you listed above by the way ...not one of them has or is producing a documentary on the newspaper industry at this time).

We want to take this film on the festival circuit around the world - no question. Anyone interested in helping us achieve this, we would greatly appreciate it.


QUESTION: Sundance? Festivals? the Newseum in DC? Where?



ADAM: Yes, foundations for documentary films, journalism foundations and journalism schools as well. We have already been in contact with The Nieman Foundation and Newseum in D.C.

It will be important to showcase this film at festivals around the world as well - simply because the contemporary American Newspaper story is the ultimate tale of capitalism ...and when capitalism fails, it leaves many concerned citizens to the wayside. As well, newspaper outlets from around the world tend to operate much differently than North American Newspapers. This is important, and one of the fundamental reasons why we currently have so much political polarization within the United States.

QUESTION: How long will the movie be? 60 minutes? 30 minutes?



ADAM: 90 - 110 minutes, respectively. A feature length film.


QUESTION: Who will you be interviewing for the movie's talking heads? Big
name editors? Big name reporters?



ADAM: To answer your question: Bob Woodward, Robert Kaiser, David Barstow, Noam Chomsky, Tim Arango, Andie Tucher, Buzz Bissinger, Tom Rosenstiel, Jeff Leen ---- to name just a few.

We also recently contacted Michael Moore, Bill Keller, Kathyrn Downing, and Jon Stewart.



Several others who I unfortunately cannot name right now until we travel to their cities and collect their interviews.


QUESTION: How do you both feel personally about the fuuture of the print
newspaper biz? Optimistic? Pessimistic?



ADAM AND BILL: The future of the newspaper business should always be looked upon with optimism, simply because the future is uncertain. The past is obviously behind us. But the key with this documentary is to detail what has taken place within a very brief history, show our audience what is taking place right now (through our field shooting - not just our talking heads interviews), and to capture what's being "lost" right now.

Lets say the newspaper/news business model shakes itself out 2, 5 or 10 years from now --- that would be fantastic. But unlike any other profession, journalism is a public service. A public service which requires a skill set, time, resources and money. The majority of citizen journalists simply don't have that. If we keep reducing our watchdogs journalists, who will be going after the Bernie Madoff's of the world, or sit in city hall for hour upon hours to reveal what the public needs to know and to protect our first Amendment rights? It's a frightening time right now -- in this strange gap between mediums -- because it seems much like a disorganized wild-west. The jobs that journalists and newspaper employees hold are not just being lost ...these dedicated professionals are at a loss for where to go next. Many of them seasoned 20-plus year reporters who have trained for nothing else professionally.

QUESTION: do you think and hope the movie will help save or preserve print
newspapers or merely document their decline and disappearance from the
American (and worldwide) scene?



ADAM: I think it's more important to truly pause and reflect upon the 'role' print newspapers in our society. They may become an item of the past ...and that might be okay (however, please do note that we have this conception right now that everyone simply has access to computers and the web ...this is false. So there is a socioeconomic element to this debate as well. How will those citizens be informed with news?). As with any documentary film, the idea is to channel a very crucial story and preserve it, think about it, and hopefully not repeat the same mistakes we have in the past.

Thank Adam and Bill, for taking the time to answer my questions via email.

BILL AND ADAM: Thank you, Danny Bloom, for taking the time to help us get the word out about our movie.

NOTE FROM BLOGGER DAN BLOOM: All e-mail and comments that are sent to me will be considered off the record. However, I may on occasion reproduce e-mails after discussion with the sender and only with their express permission.