Cover Story: 20 Under 40

Speaking Up, Speaking Out

First Published: December 2007

Each year PRESSTIME selects 20 people under the age of 40 who represent the enthusiasm, talent, hard work and innovation that’s needed to carry the newspaper industry into the future.

Since 2005, we’ve supplemented our print coverage with additional insight from the 20 finalists who responded to an e-mail questionnaire. We probe for opinions on how their current jobs will evolve and how the industry should change.

You can read the detailed responses at www.naa.org/presstime/20U40. And, be assured, all 20 have strong opinions. Here’s a sampling:

• “The default response for new ideas remains ‘no’ at most newspapers.”
• “We have a great story to tell in almost all of our local markets (especially with growing online audience), but it is drowned out by negative national news.”
• “We shouldn’t be confined to a print way of thinking; there are many ways we can be innovative and creative without waiting for someone else to do it first.”
• “We’ll have to become truly platform-independent and recognize that we should funnel the appropriate content to the appropriate platform.”
• “We learn just as much from a failure as a success, but it’s important that we acknowledge when something isn’t working and move on.”

Thank you to all the people at NAA-member newspapers who took the time to submit nominations for 20 Under 40. This project wouldn’t be possible without you. Turn the page and take a look at our selections. And, start thinking about your candidates for next year.

— Rebecca Ross Albers,
PRESSTIME Editor