I thought I’d chime in because I served for two years as a newspaper staff member at the school back in the mid-1980s. During my last year at Fremont, I was the editor-in-chief of what was then called The Fremont Chief.

Scott Herhold of the San Jose Mercury News lays out his thoughts in a column and talks about a student-led protest on Tuesday that included duct tape and the words, “No newspaper, no voice.” He argues that the students have not produced a sufficiently compelling reason to keep their newspaper, The Phoenix, as part of a school-backed journalism class.

But my verdict – and yes, it is a biased one – is this: Save as many media institutions as you can for students.

Help them excel at thinking, asking questions, analyzing, writing and other forms of expression. Do so in a formal setting under the guidance of a teacher.

Those skills, when practiced with rigorous integrity and compassion, form a foundation that will help young people learn in productive ways for the rest of their lives.

And remember: Those who are curious go out and make discoveries.

Communities need more discoveries.

In other words, the student news publication, The Phoenix, should be kept as part of a school-supported class.

Certainly, these days, the market of online words, photographs, music and video is cluttered. Market entry is simple and can take minutes to set up a free blog and begin uploading whatever is floating in your mind or the images you’ve captured on your cell phone.

Yes, many students operate top-notch, creative blogs.

So the student argument of “No newspaper, no voice” is not as strong as it once was when newspapers held more sway in their communities.

What makes a high school-supported journalism class different though is that the publication, whether it’s online or in print, is an institution. And in the best sense, journalists practice the craft and use their platforms to inform, engage, enlighten and question.

Sure, writers, editors and photographers have their own interests. They sometimes pursue those. There are times when journalists make mistakes.

But one beautiful lesson that journalism teaches anyone who practices it with the goal of true integrity and credibility is that you cover people and events you might not even have thought about days earlier.

You interview strangers or cover topics that you might personally disdain. You’re out in a community, knocking on doors, making phone calls, attending meetings, talking with scores of people, reading documents.

You listen and search for common themes that others will recognize, hopefully as important.

Then, you share these stories with a wide variety of people in a community.

And shared information - in this case about a high school and its students and teachers - on a regular basis can actually improve a community.

Call me old school – in fact, since I graduated in the 1980s, I encourage you to call me old school.

But let me consider some of the issues that have surfaced.

As I recall with high school newspapers, a principal essentially serves as its publisher. As publisher, the principal can make all final business calls – including keeping the class or ending it.

The school’s principal says enrollment has dropped and that an after-school journalism club would still fit student and budget needs.

From a free market perspective, it makes perfect sense to stop a class or product which lacks demand. These are tough budget times, too. The money could be spent elsewhere.

But foisting such a hard, cold reality on teenage high school journalists – who are going through pivotal years of learning – really undermines the noble pursuit of education.

Yes, disappointment is part of life no matter your age. But does the school and district want students to learn the lesson of a market failure so young in life?

The principal is suggesting that the journalism class become an after-school club. That could be an alternative.

If these high school bloggers, reporters and editors are serious about the art and craft of journalism, it already is an after-school club.

They’re likely spending hours on thinking of stories and covering them.

More importantly, what these students are learning and practicing fit the definition of an academic class.

Herhold raises the relevant issue that mainstream journalism is going through a true transformation – and that the shrinking number of students interested in the journalism class could reflect that they’re seeking other subjects to prepare for the future.

That could very well be the case. But while free markets churn, they also evolve until equilibrium is reached. We just might not be there right now.

Herhold also questions whether the request from students for academic credit for the journalism class - “a form of payment for their work” - takes the “moral argument” out of their case.

It actually reinforces a valuable lesson in a market-based economy: That hard work, in an academic setting and under the guidance of a teacher, should be rewarded.

Students in other academic classes are rewarded in this manner.

Interestingly enough, he ends his column by writing: “The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves.”

That last sentence sounds pleasant and worldly. I understand what he means – that the high school newspaper illustrates a larger, societal crossroads for journalism in general.

But it overlooks some basic logic: If it is true that we – as people, in general – are at fault for this problem, shouldn’t we – as people, in general - then take steps to rectify it?

If that is the case, shouldn’t the Fremont High School principal, faculty and students make at least one last-ditch effort to save the journalism class that produces The Phoenix?

Leadership at all levels calls for people to take bold, innovative and courageous action when it looks like the end is near.

After all, this is the Silicon Valley. Its people don’t give up that easily.

Obviously, I can’t speak for others who have gone through the Fremont High School journalism program. But during my career as a journalist, I have covered a litany of topics and people.

They include the largest human-trafficking case ever prosecuted on U.S. soil, Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Dalai Lama, people who survived being swept into a cave, a heroic solider, a biologist who is trying to help us live longer, people who have fallen in love at cemeteries, a Japanese American woman who was interned during World War II and Bruce Lee, the late martial artist and philosopher.

I’ve also contributed to an anthology about people searching for their cultural roots in China.

The drive to cover these stories or write about my experiences was largely fueled by, yes, my high school journalism years.

So, for journalism copy, the word should be spelled: Website.

Poynter Online’s Mallory Jean Tenore noted that there was ruckus, of sorts, and people used Twitter, among other vehicles, to voice their happiness or concern regarding the change.

She talked with one of the Stylebook editors about the change to the guide that journalists use for consistency in a company and across an industry.

From Sally Jacobsen of The Associated Press:

We decided to make the change because ‘website’ is increasingly common….We also had invited readers and users of the Stylebook to offer us some suggestions for a new social media guide that we’re including in the 2010 Stylebook, and we got a very good response and a large number of people who favored ‘website’ as one word.

Here’s the new entry:

A location on the World Wide Web that maintains one or more pages at a specific address. Also, webcam, webcast and webmaster. But as a short form and in terms with separate words, the Web, Web page and Web feed. See Web.

With AP style, I go with the flow and follow the norm – especially when I work for a journalism outfit or write freelance pieces.

On a personal note, though, years ago, I started typing it as one word – website.

I forgot why I did that. It just came naturally.

Then, I realized the AP style and began adding that extra space.

In a way, it’s not too much of a big deal. If you really don’t want to remember style rules with this word, just use Web as much as you can.

Words change. Usage does, too.

The interesting note, though, is how this word changed became a bit of a process – and that’s something I think ordinary people might not fully understand with journalism, as an institution.

Or at least, that was the sense I had when I worked in journalism: Look for the action for (ordinary) readers. Find the result. Describe it.

Avoid the process (unless it’s really good and takes up hours and hours out of a year).

From that Poynter blog post:

The change, which was formally announced at the American Copy Editors Society conference Friday afternoon, is effective Saturday and will appear in the 2010 Stylebook, which is slated to come out next month.

The online world, though, heard about via Twitter.

Parallel tracks, huh?

This move should save writers time – to say the least. One less space to add, you know.

Regarding ordinary people, here’s my speculative sense: They might not have even known – or cared – about the style in the first place.

Why?

If you’re a one-person online band and run your own blog or participate in non-edited citizen journalism, you might not hear from an editor about the proper style usage.

You’ve always typed website – as have others who have joined the onine information pool – and it works for you (and others).

So, you’ve stayed with it. People understand what you’re talking about. 

Now, I’m curious about whether the words “construction site” should follow suit, too.

Any why, in English, is tofu not spelled doufu?

Oh, well, questions, questions.

If you’re interested, though, there is an AP Stylebook app for your iPhone. It costs $28.99.

The White House (still two words) press staff also have their own app for your iPhone, in case you’re wondering.

It’s the first video in that blog post.

What caught my attention on this Thursday was Floyd Norris’ column in The New York Times. The company gave it prime online real estate, at least when I saw it.

His thesis, which has caveats, revolves around more hiring, better consumer spending and the fact that the recession is, most likely, over in the country.

As he wrote:

Why is good news being received with such doubt? Why is ‘new normal’ the currently popular economic phrase, signifying that growth will be subpar for an extended period, and that the old normal is no longer something to be expected? It is possible, of course, that I am wrong and the prevalent pessimism is correct.

Or as he described it on his blog:

My Friday column, arguing that the economy is doing much better than most of the commentators say it is, was posted this afternoon, and has generated more e-mail than I am used to getting.

I’ve covered meetings with economists and understand the trends they follow.

What I think Norris overlooks, though, is the huge gap between the economic data statisticians use to gauge financial well being and the view from the streets, whether that perspective is urban, suburban or rural.

As in: Many people, I would argue, judge the economy on how they’re doing financially and the experiences of their neighbors, relatives, friends and people they meet.

So, when Norris talks about the recession – in pure technical terms – as being over, does he realize that many people in the country cringe because adequate hiring to bring the unemployed back into the working ranks often lags behind?

As in: Optimism is good and always needed. But optimism with blinders can shield you from reality.

One interesting note: A copy editor – or someone – has changed the online headline.

The original, which still can be seen on the top of your browser: “Why So Glum? History Points to a Strong Recovery.”

The revised headline in the story: “Why So Glum? History Points to a Recovery.”

Actually, by definition, recoveries always take place after recessions. If they don’t, then what you have is pure failure. 

So, this edit on the headline doesn’t make sense because pointing to history really has nothing to do with an economic recovery. History, though, can point to a strong recovery.

It looks like the revised headline is now: “Why So Glum? Numbers Point To a Recovery.”

Norris’ also misses the fact that Washington state economists pointed out late last year during their annual meeting – that all recessions are unique.

I have seen more job listings in recent months. Of course, that is a good thing.

But when I talk with people about how their jobs are going – or their job searches – I hear news that is less than enthusiastic.

Certainly, there are some employees in the country who have not been touched by the recession in a dramatic way. I’m happy for them.

But the story is different for millions of unemployed or underemployed.

Banks are under pressure from federal regulators not to loan dollars out as they once did during the go-go halcyon days of a few years ago.

You know, when irrational exuberance existed and many people thought that real estate values always increased (or seemed to do so) at high percentages.

A review of news articles also shows that, well, things continue to be tough.

Commercial buildings remain empty, including downtown Seattle’s Columbia Tower whose owners have missed a mortgage payment, The Seattle Times reported.

In the Seattle area, there’s the possibility of a strike by garbage drivers – and as KOMO/4 reported, about 1,600 people applied online to replace those drivers should they leave their jobs.

Norris asks why the White House has not yet taken on a more rosy view of the economic numbers.

While he took into account some partisan differences in his piece, he failed to hit the big target coming up: The mid-term elections.

If the White House plays up the economic data saying that the recession has officially ended, but average people are still struggling with mortgages, health bills or getting loans, what do you think is going to be the political narrative in the weeks before November?

These days, people are waiting to see what the next week or month brings.

In Norris’ blog, he writes about how he’s been receiving more email about this topic than he usually does. It’s easy to see why.

The view from the streets (the ordinary ones, of course) is important to keep in mind.

Uncertainty remains for many people. Many of us remember the words of U.S. officials – whose words sounded nice at the time but ring hollow now.

Norris used the example of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hailing the subprime mortgage crisis as “contained.”

I think many people remember when the idea that the economy’s fundamentals are “strong” prompted sharp questions.

Here’s another example: After I left my previous job in March 2009, I attended a nonprofit housing seminar on how to avoid foreclosure.

It’s safe to say that I was not in that situation. But I wanted to know the various possibilities of what might surface in the months after someone leaves a full-time job.

A very-knowledgeable woman, who once worked at an East Coast bank, ran the seminar. She gave helpful tips, prodded us to think and offered helpful tips.

One interesting note: Had I actually been a working journalist at that time, I would have been barred from attending the meeting.

She asked whether people were behind in their mortgages. Hands went up.

Some people who attended once worked for the banking and financial industry.

Another thing that surprised me: One guy, who raised his hand when asked whether he was behind on his mortgage, fell asleep during the presentation.

The teacher, who used humor to convey ideas, spotted him and said something to the extent of: “I told you guys not to sleep in my class!”

By the way: Falling behind on your mortgage and going to sleep in a seminar on how to avoid foreclosure ought to be avoided, if possible.

The meeting also was helpful because trying to get clarity, at that time, from banks and the federal government on mortgage modification options was elusive.

I sincerely hope the people from that meeting are doing well these days.

My point in all of this: The view from the ground can be vastly different than the data – which is often weeks or months old – that some economists or statisticians rely on for a big-picture analytical fly-over.

Those conclusions can get picked up by national journalists, who write or talk about them but soon encounter sharp questions from ordinary people.

Norris also neglects to take into account – at least in a significant way – that hiring lags behind the end of a recession.

In other words, people are glum because adequate hiring at good wages has not arrived. That is how many people view economic health.

I understand the metrics used in determining economic health or gross domestic product, including goods and services produced during a certain period.

But for many people, it’s the view and fact as to whether their neighbors or friends are being hired and whether there’s enough work when they are employed.

The flow of capital in a responsible way is another indicator that ordinary people use.

Norris might have been on better footing, journalistically at least, had he waited a few months after a more confident view from the ground had floated up to the data counters.

Mainstream journalists once overlooked the power of new technologies and how they would transform the information industry and open doors for more people to enter the content pool.

In a similar way, Norris’ piece shows that a gap in understanding the glum factor with the U.S. economy exists.

A drought believed to be the worst in China's southwest in a century has cracked the land. Image source: QQ via ChinaSmack

As rain fell on the Seattle area this week – and at times, pelting the ground – a shortage of fresh water thousands of miles away in China’s southwest region is turning into an epic problem – believed to be the worst of its kind in 100 years.

Chinese officials have turned their attention to the drought, which is affecting an estimated 24 million people and has hit Yunnan and other provinces, according to this Wall Street Journal article.

The drought began late last year and the shortage has caught the attention of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who recently visited Yunnan. Chinese troops and others are bringing in relief supplies.

And images have made their way to Chinese Web sites, as well as.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the region – which has some of China’s highest mountains – is expected to receive more seasonal rain in late May.

The Journal noted issues related to the water shortage:

Food prices could increase and questions about China’s dam construction:

The drought has raised fears of inflationary pressures as the water shortage threatens to drive up prices for rice and other agricultural products. It has also drawn attention from environmentalists who wonder to what extent disruptions from China’s massive construction of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs have contributed to the water shortages.

The Journal quoted Ma Jun, a director of a nongovernmental organization in Beijing that studies the environment, as saying:

paper mills have recently planted crops of eucalyptus, rubber trees and other non-local species, reducing native forest areas that can hold excess water and release it in the dry season. ‘Logging, deforestation and general eco-degradation in that region … has weakened the ecological capability to regulate water.’

Finally, the Journal informed readers that the demand for fresh water is growing, especially as the country modernizes and more people become financially well off.

By 2030, the news organization said citing a report from McKinsey & Co., the demand for water could be 25 percent higher than the country’s supply.

There are times when the news out of China breaks my heart – and this is one of those moments.

I know it’s easy for anyone to compare the extremes of any country – wealth vs. the less fortunate, for instance.

Go to Beverly Hills, parts of Manhattan or even cities in the Seattle area and you can see people living a very good life.

Go to parts of big U.S. cities and you can see just how difficult life on the streets can treat a person. And yes, there are parts of rural areas in the United States that are still facing with social and economic issues.

That being said, compare these images of China’s drought to the photographs of the go-go life for many of China’s elite on the fast-growing Hainan Island.

The New York Times moved a story about the soaring growth and included images of long-time locals in contrast to the new middle class, who are enjoying the good life.

One item is particularly eye-catching in the article: The developer of what is expected to be China’s largest yacht club wants to build 220 villas – each with a butler, swimming pool and spa.

From the Times:

‘I want to get it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most spas anywhere,’ the manager says.

And in a life imitates art moment, CCTV recently broadcast a reporter’s visit to Yunnan province and interviewed students, including a class of 10-year-olds who are hoarding the emergency water they’ve received from relief workers – so they can give it to their parents.

One girl told the television reporter that she has only consumed 1.5 bottles of water in the last six days – primarily so that her family also can have something to drink.

A school official said the relief water can enable each of the 160 students to drink one bottle of water a day.

That prompted this comment from the reporter:

It is clearly not sufficient for a 10-year-old child.

As you see in the CCTV report, one girl states the obvious – that she really would like rain to come fast. But coming from a youth on the verge of tears before a news camera only gives that wish more weight.

I say that this video clip is a life imitating art moment because Chinese director Zhang Yimou, years ago, made another fantastic, moving film about ordinary people and life in China.

It’s called Not One Less – and centers around a girl, who is about 12 or so, gets drafted to teach kids in a rural area – youth who are similar to the students in that CCTV report.

By the way, my wife tells me that the girl in Not One Less reportedly has come to the United States to study film.

The photographs that you see here of the drought in Southwest China are from QQ via ChinaSmack.

The ChinaSmack blog post includes a translated article from a Chinese reporter who went to see this waterless lake that is pictured.

A local told the reporter that the lake had never run out of water in 40 years.

The drought in China's southwest has hit Yunnan province particularly hard. A man sits in a lake that reportedly had never lacked water in 40 years. Image source: QQ via ChinaSmack

Some are calling China's drought in its southwest the worst in a century. Image source: QQ via ChinaSmack

Researchers at Tokyo University reportedly have made a robot that can conduct interviews, shoot pictures, search the Internet for background and crank out online stories. Image source: Charlie Catlett on Twitter

Perhaps, if journalists, content producers or information brokers – or whatever label you use – really want to get a jump on things in 2010, one logical step might be to enter the robot industry.

Why?

Well, robots might have the ability to do what human journalists do these days – at least, according to this blog entry from Singularity Hub which the Knight Foundation also noted.

Life is rich. Isn’t it?

Researchers at Tokyo University apparently have come up with a robot, that as blogger Aaron Saenz writes:

…that can autonomously explore its environment and report what it finds. The robot detects changes in its surroundings, decides if they are relevant, and then takes pictures with its on board camera. It can query nearby people for information, and it uses internet searches to further round out its understanding. If something appears newsworthy, the robot will even write a short article and publish it to the web.

Just to think that people in what is now China once used bamboo as the medium to record words and thoughts.

Now this.

As a former newspaper journalist, who has watched the industry change rapidly in the past few years, I suppose the rise of the robotic content producer is possible.

If you thought the Internet – and its inexpensive entry for people to have their own online platform – opened up the world to citizen journalists, bloggers and commenters, it remains plausible that, well, robots would join the fray.

The information pool, well, just made room for bots.

If bots ever come to actually collecting and distributing news and information, would humans notice the difference?

Would we even care?

I mean, if a photo of a news or sports event was captured and distributed broadly after the event happened and there was little weight on how artistic or composed that image was, it could work (I suppose).

The same could be said for written copy or video or audio.

Since humans could operate an army of journobots, news subjects (meaning humans) would have to contend with a new way to ask for corrections.

And talk about journobots seriously never stopping until they received an answer to a specific question from a reluctant news subject (meaning humans).

I can already see what public relations officials for government agencies and companies would say: “Let’s just put our own bot out there with the journobot, sort of in a head-to-head standoff.”

ASIMO, Honda’s robot, already has led the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

And search bots are helping Google and other companies scour the Internet for key words, topics and images – so they can be categorized in search results.

What I think would be ideal, though, and I’m speaking as a human who still types on a keyboard and presses the button of a digital camera, would be an aerial drone-like robot that also can do the work as a human journalist.

If it can go underwater (and in space), that would be quite impressive.

As you might realize, I find robots to be pretty fascinating.

In this Honda-produced documentary, the topic of robots centered around the fact that humans are the ones that are programming them – and that they are, in a sense, a reflection of ourselves.

Months ago, I wrote a headline about robots and mapo tofu and jokingly referred to whether a machine could really make one of my favorite tofu dishes, which is from Sichuan province.

I think I might have typed that headline too soon.

In Japan, giant robotic arms have made noodles for customers.

I agree with the comment posted on YouTube: The end is a bit creepy.

The Japanese restaurant that dishes up these robot-prepared noodles has more videos of the mechanical masters at work.

An IBM robot also was set to compete against humans on Jeopardy! – the game show in which winning answers are asked in the form of answers.

The question is though: Can robotic arms – which have been used in the automobile industry and the medical world – really dish up a tasty helping of mapo tofu?

Noodles and tofu – they’re both food.

If a bot can make one, it could in theory make the other.

Steve Yamaguma, a family friend in California, told me that he once ate sushi in Tokyo – made by robot machines.

Eating food made by humans, he added, was more fun.

And in the parenting world and joy of playing with LEGOs and kids, a bot could actually take the part of playmate.

I’m going to let the idea of robots as journalists (or mapo tofu cooks or LEGO playmate) sit for a while.

But I do think if robots are going to move under the First Amendment with digital recorders, cameras and software to crank out stories, resembling a human might be more acceptable.

Of course, if you have a robot spokesperson, or spokesbot, at a press briefing, it wouldn’t matter too much if bots made up your media corps.

But when a journobot comes knocking on the door of a human being, at least have it look like a person.

My thanks to Singularity Hub – and all of its great posts about robots and the future.

I suppose three decades can blow by fast.

But I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge one of my favorite broadcast news shows of all time – Nightline on ABC News.

I’m partial to when Ted Koppel’s deep voice and clear pronunciation were the hallmarks of the must-see broadcast for those inside the Beltway and news junkies in the country.

Producers at the show have posted a great interactive timeline, charting key moments in the show’s 30 years.

The show’s three-decade anniversary is March 24, 1980 – following the late show that Koppel hosted, “The Iran Crisis: America Held Hostage.”

That examined the Iranian hostage crisis from 1979. 

Nightline staff member Kinga Janik posted this piece on the show’s place in U.S. media history.

Back in the 1980s, the 11:30 p.m. was the timeslot for the last broadcast news of the day.

In the spring of 1989, I was fortunate enough to have a three-month internship at the Washington, D.C. bureau of Nightline – on DeSales Street Northwest.

In terms of 30 years, three months is just a blink.

But, of course, for a college student, it was memorable to be in the newsroom of a network news show that arguably nearly everyone in the country was waiting to see that night.

Koppel, of course, was fair, tough and willing to ask the most difficult questions in a diplomatic way to guests, whether they were famous or not. 

The atmosphere in the newsroom was certainly “can do.”

The bookers – Richard Harris and Gil Pimentel – were responsible for contacting potential guests. They amazed me at how they would talk with the producers about which guests to try and book for a show, often with only hours until broadcast.

You know what?

They often came back with the right person and leading figure to sit down and talk with Koppel.

As an intern, I was on the frontlines and helped out when I could.

I answered phones – big tan boxes with clear square lights that lit up when someone was one a call – and photocopied “scripts” – which were the copy that Koppel and the producers used.

I filed and faxed documents.

On a few occasions, I went to Capitol Hill to follow the ethical woes of House Speaker Jim Wright of Texas. I once stood in a media pit outside the Capitol when Wright appeared – and so did a throng of cameras and journalists.

I began taking notes and looked over my shoulder. I saw another journalist jotting down what I had written on my pad.

A friend told me later that I should have remembered the quotes and information in my head but I should have written down incorrect information in my notes for that other journalist who was peering down.

I chatted with Koppel once or twice. He was, of course, a busy person.

He liked the fact that my dad considered naming me “Wolfgang” – so that I’d have the name of “Wolfgang Wong.”

If anything though, just being in that newsroom and watching the show in the Green Room and listening to Koppel’s pacing of words and ideas have helped me tremendously.

The show’s writers, as well as the network correspondents, all had witty way with words.

Needless to say, when I had to write my report about my three months at that show, it was pretty easy – the pacing of my words and ideas matched Koppel and other correspondents.

One of the stories that I remember from my time inside that newsroom was how Koppel had this brilliant memory.

Apparently, as I recall, when he in the field – say, at an airport – someone would take out a dictionary. He’d tell one of his producers to pick, say, 10 words and their definitions at random.

Koppel memorized those words and their definitions pretty fast.

Back then, as I recall, and I know it sounds like the Dark Ages, but wire stories were the only “live” news stories that would appear on our computer screens.

There would be a beep, notifying staff that something had moved.

No Twitter. No Facebook. No RSS feeds. No fast-paced updating of a Web page.

Of course, the television networks and local affiliates could broadcast news when deemed necessary.

On many days, it was the old-fashioned way of collecting information – getting out in the field or making phone calls.

I remember when a producer and correspondent had returned from a Central America trip – only to return right after they walked back into the bureau. News in that region continued to break.

Another time, I remember Scott Sforza, a staff member and the intern coordinator, booked a jet airplane late at night so Koppel and producers could cover a big news event in the Middle East.

On a few times, my task was to get advanced copies of the Washington Post, which at the time, was available around 10:30 p.m. or so.

A producer would hand me money. I’d walk outside on DeSales to the Mayflower Hotel and buy a stack to distribute in the newsroom.

If the Post moved something big, then Koppel or producers could always make a note of it before that nightly broadcast ended.

The chase would continue in the morning – and as I recall, the bureau was staffed around the clock.

Needless to say, the Nightline staff has a rich bag of stories about assignments, Koppel and life inside the newsroom.

Good stuff – all of it, even if I was just an intern.

Two producers, Artis and Greg, always gave me good advice and the opportunity to help out on stories.

As I recall, Greg enjoyed the saying: “Do everything you can to get the story – or at least die trying.”

I’m glad that Nightline is still on the air. It has changed, of course, as everything evolves.

But I’m glad I was inside for those brief few months.

If Nightline was a snoozer of a show, filled with endless and mindless chatter, I wouldn’t be saying this on its 30th anniversary.

Really, in many ways, it rocked the world of journalism.

I think I still have my Nightline press credentials somewhere – probably in a box at my parents’ house.

NOTE: I should say that the skyline used by Nightline and the one that appears in my TofuWatch logo is coincidence.

Once I learn the name of the artist who made this image, I’ll give proper credit.

I hope everyone is well.

And I’m not knocking copy editors – in fact, they’ve helped improve my copy and saved me from mistakes (in print) numerous times.

My former assignment editors have done the same, too.

I just like the idea of this headline – as a headline on this day.

UPDATE: I forgot to say I like the message in this photograph and the idea of information in a box.

To mark the one-year anniversary of the last Seattle Post-Intelligencer print edition, I recently talked with Grant Haller, a P-I staff photographer from 1974 to 2009.

The 65-year-old always had an interesting story about some topic – which made the newsroom lively and unpredictable.

He started delivering newspapers in the sixth grade in Port Angeles, Wash. Before the P-I, he worked at other newspapers. He also has pursued freelance photography.

So why talk with Haller?

He makes me laugh.

When we were walking in his yard earlier this month, he told me that he has about 200 trees. Then, he pauses and asks whether I’d like to take one home – and points to one that’s about 6-feet tall.

In fact, we talked at his house for about four hours, just getting caught up – I hadn’t seen him since last year.

And on this day, I hope my former colleagues are well.

Some have found new jobs. Some stayed at the online arm, Seattlepi.com. Others are studying and pursuing job opportunities.

My first bureau mate at the P-I, Gordy Holt, was kind enough to show me around, point me in the right direction and invite me to his house for holiday dinners when I didn’t return to California.

I’m grateful.

He’s now retired in Southern California. 

I’m doing this not to prove any point. I’m doing this because I’ve always enjoyed learning about the past.

What’s that phrase?

Meet interesting people. Talk with them. Listen. Learn. And see what universal themes surface.

At his house, Haller showed me where he kept old photographs, equipment, signs and press badges.

The images that I’ve included are, as the description goes, raw.

They’re what I saw when I visited and documented with my digital camera.

At his home, former Seattle P-I photographer Grant Haller holds his first camera above, a Kodak Retinette 1a, from the 1960s.

When Bill Clinton ran for president, Haller documented the candidate and the crowds in the streets of Seattle.

On a freelance assignment, Haller once made a picture of Pele – one of the world’s greatest soccer (football) players.

Thanks, Grant.

Oh, yes: I forgot to say that Grant and I covered Hempfest in Seattle in 2007.

He made an image of a man putting a drill bit to his nose.

And when Mount St. Helens blew in May 1980 and threw ash about 60,000 feet into the sky, he was in the air and made this image.

I also came across this piece by Andy Rogers, a former P-I photographer and assignment editor. He talks about what staff photographers were doing as of December.

Bill and Melinda Gates were married in Hawaii on Jan. 1, 1994. Photo credit: Copyright Grant Haller / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s last print edition hit the streets on March 17, 2009.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of working there as a reporter was talking to a variety of journalists, including other writers, editors, artists and photographers.

They all have great stories and interesting backgrounds.

One of the photographers was Grant Haller, a 35-year staff veteran, who always surprised me with the stories he told me, as we passed in the office or went on an assignment together.

Earlier this month, I visited Haller, 65, and asked him to recount how he managed to get the photograph you see above of Bill and Melinda Gates’ wedding on Hawaii on Jan. 1, 1994.

After the jump, I’ve included video clips of the interview.

As far as he and I can tell, he was the only journalist to get a photograph of one of the most famous residents in the Seattle area – and a man known worldwide – at that moment.

The reason why the photograph above is unclear is because it’s a digital image of what I saw on Haller’s computer screen.

I do like things the way I see them.

The interview is a bit long. Yes, I’m still a bit old school.

But I think it was worth recording. And I think it’s worth watching.

Bill and Melinda Gates were married on Jan. 1, 1994 in Hawaii. Seattle P-I photographer Grant Haller made this image of their wedding - one of the few, if not only one, made by a journalist. Photo credit: Copyright Grant Haller / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Each video clip should have a slide showing the correct part of the interview series. But I think I put the wrong number in Clip No. 2.

Oh, yes. It took some work for me to put the video interview online. I’m glad I was able to do something different – and learn.

And in that old P-I tradition, I came up with a finished product.

Grant, thank you again for chatting with me earlier this month.

I hope my former colleagues are well.

From 1998 to 1999, I worked as a newspaper reporter for The Pacific Daily News on Guam.

It’s a U.S. territory in the Western Pacific and where, as island residents will tell you, America’s Day Begins.

The newsroom had the nice feel of a coffee house with reporters thinking of ideas, chasing news and writing stories. And there was much news to be had out there.

Island politics, spending local and federal money, military affairs and a wave of illegal immigrants from China kept us busy to name some of the stories my colleagues and I covered.

In fact, the U.S. delegate to the House of Representatives at the time entered our writing about human smuggling – old and young from China’s Fujian province showed up on rickety, old boats – in the Congressional Record, which C-SPAN, for some reason, has in its online archives.

I made many friends there and I liked the fact that there was influence from the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and mainland China, as well as Hawaii and the continental United States.

Before I left, my friends gave me the Latte Stone replica that you see pictured above. I only came across it when I was digging around in some boxes at my parents’ house.

The Latte Stone was an important part of Guam’s history because they were used to hold up ancient houses, according to the island’s government Web site.

It brought back some great memories.

I never traveled to all the places that can fascinate in Micronesia.

The Federated States of Micronesia, as I recall, still have large round stones that were once used as money. The region is known worldwide for excellent scuba diving.

The U.S. government used the Marshall Islands, which are roughly in the region, as a testing ground for nuclear weapons.

But I did visit Tinian, which is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and was the launch point for one of the U.S. bombers to drop the atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.

Some Chinese investors around 1998 or 1999 had opened a casino for tourists.

Saipan, a larger island in the commonwealth, was home to controversial garment factories and housed numerous workers from China and other countries.

During Guam’s gubernatorial election in 1998, I had the opportunity to serve on a panel of journalists to question the candidates.

As I recall, the island’s government was spending money, which raised concerns about whether the rate of spending was sustainable.

So, I asked the candidates whether they would, as a measure of fiscal responsibility and a public example, state that they would give back part of their salary, should they be elected to the island’s highest office.

One person agreed. I forgot what the other two said.

Anyway, for some reason, I kept the name tag all these years that sat before me at the hotel that night.

By the way, Guam is a beautiful part of the world.