Poynter Announces Early-Retirement Plan

The Poynter Institute's early-retirement plan marks the school's latest effort to reduce expenses, even as it expands its journalism training curriculum.

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We are facing significant challenges but also experiencing big successes

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) April 30, 2009

The Poynter Institute, responding to the impact of the economic crisis, today offered a package of incentives to staff members who choose to retire early. The early-retirement plan marks the Institute's latest effort to reduce expenses, even as it expands its curriculum into new areas and broadens its capacity to teach on a variety of in-person, virtual and e-learning platforms.

"We are facing significant challenges but also experiencing big successes," said Karen B. Dunlap, Poynter's president. "Even in this tough environment, Poynter is expanding what we teach and how we teach it - and exploring the most serious questions about how to ensure journalism's future."

In many ways, Poynter's situation parallels the industry it serves. Innovative programs are reaching new audiences and attracting new revenue - but not at a level sufficient to offset the impact of the recession and news organization cuts on Poynter's income. The Institute relies on dividends from the (St. Petersburg) Times Publishing Company, which Poynter owns; tuition for courses; returns on its investments; and grants and charitable contributions.

In January, like many in the news industry, Poynter froze wages for its staff and reduced the Institute's contributions to retirement accounts. Dunlap says she hopes the voluntary retirement plan will preclude the need for further reductions, including layoffs.

But even as Poynter has reduced operating expenses in recent months, the Institute has expanded its curriculum and its methods of teaching. A growing number of programs are grant-funded:

With funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Poynter's News University now offers more than 85 self-directed, interactive e-learning courses and recently passed the 100,000 mark in registered users.
Webinars and other forms of virtual teaching, funded in part by the Harnisch Family Foundation, allow Poynter faculty and other leading journalism professionals to reach audiences via the Internet at work, at home or in the classroom.
The Poynter Sense-Making Project, an initiative funded by the Ford Foundation, is exploring how the future of news is being affected by what has been called the "Fifth Estate" - those who are filling the void created by the diminished influence of mainstream media.
A companion initiative funded in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York is tracking the transformation of the news business in an effort to discover models for successfully sustaining quality journalism.
A program funded by the McCormick Foundation is identifying newspaper change leaders and preparing them to train others in leadership, change and innovation.

In addition, funds from the Annie E. Casey Foundation are underwriting core courses, and proceeds from the sale of Poynter's successful collection of front pages about President Obama's election are providing matching scholarship funds for Poynter courses.

The Institute continues to expand its development program, seeking grants, individual contributors and major donors. In addition, Poynter also is beginning workshops for non-journalists who may benefit from transferable communication skills such as writing, photography, Web site development and mastering the new social media.

"We're facing immediate challenges as we adjust to media changes," Dunlap said, "but we remain very optimistic about Poynter's long-term future."

About The Poynter Institute
Serving journalism and citizens in the interest of democracy, The Poynter Institute (http://www.poynter.org) was founded in 1975 in St. Petersburg, Fla. It is one of the nation's top schools for professional journalists, future journalists, journalism educators and students. Poynter offers training throughout the year in the areas of online and multimedia, leadership and management, reporting, writing and editing, TV and radio, ethics and diversity, journalism education and visual journalism. Poynter's News University (http://www.newsu.org) offers newsroom training to journalists and journalism students through interactive e-learning modules and links to other journalism education and training opportunities. Poynter Online (http://www.poynter.org), the Institute's Web site, is a daily destination for news and information about the media industry.

Contact Information:
Catherine Campbell
director of project operations
ccampbell (at) poynter.org

Jessica Sandler
marketing manager
jsandler (at) poynter.org

Phone: 1-888-POYNTER (1-888-769-6837)

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