| Click the button below to search for articles... View News Items from prior months... June 2021 July 2020 June 2016 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 July 2013 June 2013 March 2013 February 2013 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 November 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 October 2010 September 2010 February 2010 January 2010 | RURAL NEWSPAPERS America's metropolitan newspapers are in trouble, beset by declining circulation and ad revenues and free online competition. But rural and community newspapers are weathering the storm, with over 7,500 publications serving markets of less than 30,000 people. The Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford University has just published an analysis of rural newspapers, including an interactive map showing 300 years of American papers. Created by a team of journalists working together with scholars and students from Stanford's history and computer science departments, the visualization tracks the growth of media from Boston's Publick Occurrences in 1690 to more than 10,000 publications in print today. "The community newspaper business is healthier than metro newspapers, because it hasn't been invaded by Internet competition," Al Cross, a rural journalism analyst at the University of Kentucky, told the Center's researchers. "Craigslist doesn't serve these kinds of communities. They have no effective competition for local news. Rural papers own the franchise locally of the most credible information." According to a 2010 survey conducted by the University of Missouri, Columbia for the National Newspaper Association, more than three-quarters of respondents said they read most or all of a local newspaper every week. And in news to warm the heart of any publisher, a full 94 percent said that they paid for their papers. Take tiny Pinedale, Wyoming, home to 2,030 residents and two competing weekly newspapers, the Pinedale Roundup and the Sublette Examiner. Go to a town council meeting and you'll probably find a reporter from both papers, alongside a writer for the town's web-only "Pinedale Online!" "It is more than a little ironic that small-town papers have been thriving by practicing what the mainstream media are now preaching," writes broadcast journalist and University of Southern California journalism professor Judy Muller in her new book, Emus Loose in Egnar: Big Stories from Small Towns (University of Nebraska Press). "'Hyper-localism,' 'Citizen Journalism,' 'Advocacy Journalism' - these are some of the latest buzzwords of the profession. But the concepts, without the fancy names, have been around for ages in small-town newspapers." Published: 05/25/12 DOG OWNERS BEWARE: NO 'ONE FREE BITE' RULE IN CALIFORNIA In Recognition of National Dog Bite Prevention Week (May 20-26) Attorneys Jason Cohn and Saar Swartzon Educate Consumers about the Legal Responsibilities of Dog Ownership Warmer temperatures and longer days mean taking longer walks with Spot. You may trust your dog would never bite someone but are you one hundred percent sure? For dog owners, a dog bite can mean major consequences. When a person is bitten by a dog in California, the dog owner is liable for damages even for first time bites. As attorneys who have too often seen first-hand the long-term anguish of dog bite victims, Jason Cohn and Saar Swartzon of Cohn & Swartzon see National Dog Bite Prevention Week as an opportunity to urge consumers to fully understand the state and municipal laws pertaining to dog bites. According to the Center for Disease Control, dogs bite approximately 4.5 million people each year in the United States. Those who are at the greatest risk include children from ages five to nine, adult males and individuals with dogs in their homes. In 2006, more than 31,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of dog bites. These disfiguring injuries can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) along with embarrassment and humiliation. Cohn and Swartzon, recognized authorities on personal injury issues, are readily available for interviews on the following legal responsibilities of dog ownership. � Become familiar with the no "one free bite" rule in California - California Civil Code states "The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner�s knowledge of such viciousness." The law in California makes an owner strictly liable for any dog that causes injury. This liability extends to other dogs that are attacked as well. � Review homeowner or renters insurance policies to make sure proper insurance coverage is included - This protects in most cases the dog owner from having to pay damages related to dog injury claims. Make sure the insurance policy does not exclude your particular breed of dog. Owners should have enough insurance coverage to protect their assets. � Understand the risks of not having proper insurance coverage - Homeowners who do not have the proper insurance coverage in their home insurance policy are personally liable even if the attacking dog belongs to a renter. Most dog maulings involve rips and tears of flesh and victims are generally awarded high damages as juries can relate to these injuries. According to Professional Insurance Agents, dog bite claims exceeded $400 million across the nation in 2010 and cost on average $26,000 per claim. Dog owners without proper insurance coverage can lose their homes, assets and income as a result of a single dog bite. � Owners are still liable in dog parks � The location of the dog mauling does not matter. California�s strict liability statute applies even to public places such as parks and beaches: California Civil Code states, �The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place.� Published: 05/17/12 |