I received a call from a student participating in a sit-in at a local school, protesting the budget cuts and forced layoffs in their school district. I arrived shortly before the group disbanded. I was the only media official to cover the protest.
An estimated 175 students found their way to the field house at Wayland-Cohocton Central School Friday morning in a sit-in organized by several high school seniors. For the duration of two periods, protesters sent a message to local and state school officials.
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express | April 21, 2011 | Original source
Close to 200 high school students gathered at the Wayland-Cohocton field house at 8 a.m. Friday to send a message to local and state education officials.
Senior Eric Martell and a handful of his peers organized the sit-in to specifically protest the elimination of two positions in the high school and more broadly the cuts in education funding across the state. Continue reading Speaking out: Way-Co students protest staffing cuts→
Just a few weeks after my arrival as editor of the Genesee Country Express, we determined the newspaper needed a redesign and I worked collaboratively with a team from our office, assisted by a corporate task force. We accomplished the goal of transforming an outdated, cluttered design to a modern, clean look. I showcased the transition and what follows is my weekly column, introducing the new look to our readers.
Before and after: Our redesign efforts in a week transformed an outdated look into a modern one.
The 7 forbidden words
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express | Dec. 9, 2010 | Original source
A sign posted above my office desk reads as follows: “‘Because we’ve always done it that way’ are the seven last words of any organization.”
Given the state of traditional media as a whole and newspapers in particular, newspapers must be willing to adapt if we intend to survive in the 21st century. So in the three months since I took over as editor of the Genesee Country Express, we’ve made a lot of changes. This week’s edition marks the most dramatic. Continue reading Newspaper redesign→
This is another one of my weekly musings. Here, I share with my readers how I started in newspapers as an 11-year-old carrier.
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express | Oct. 7, 2010 | Original source
It’s only been six years since I took my first job as a news reporter, but my career in the newspaper industry goes back much further.
I grew up in an average middle class family in suburbia. My dad was employed at a Salt Lake City hotel and when after my siblings were all in school, my mom took a job as a school lunch cook. Continue reading Starting at age 11 in the newspaper industry→
This is one of several columns I wrote as editor of the Genesee Country Express. Here, I share a personal reflection about being a newcomer to the community and an outsider.
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express | Sept. 30, 2010 | Original source
I read once that when we first meet people, our opinions are set within the first 30 seconds – that is, when meeting new people, we have less than half a minute to make the best first impression we can.
Yet these impressions are so often wrong. I remember one day at my first job out of college when a tall, unshaven, tattooed, leather-clad man walked into our office and asked to speak with a reporter. He had a story. Continue reading Less than a minute to decide→
