Magazines are also cutting back their frequency of printing. A newsweekly I’ve read for years went to a biweekly print schedule, then monthly in less than a year.

Most commercial newspapers and magazines rely on advertising sales for most or all of their income. As readership has dropped, advertising sales have dropped, often significantly. And lately, even with circulation levels that were viable a few years ago, advertising sales have been sinking faster, often because of the economy.

How are Catholic print publications faring? The economics may often be different because of diocesan support for their Catholic newspaper, for example, resulting in somewhat less dependency on advertising sales. But few Catholic publications are immune from the financial problems we’re experiencing today.

If you’re involved in Catholic journalism, what are you seeing and experiencing regarding your newspapers and magazines? How do you expect Catholic news to reach your audience next year, 5 years from now?

As a reader of Catholic publications, are you seeing changes in these publications? And are you changing the way you get Catholic news?

Let us know what you’re experiencing. You can write a comment here, leave a voicemail at our comment line (1-740-314-1830), or send me a message on Twitter: I’m @iJimCoyle.

Jim Coyle

Reading Peggy Noonan is about as close as it comes to perfection. At least that’s my opinion. After I’m done reading her work, I find that I want to go back and read it again just for the [p]ure pleasure of it.

That describes my response to Peggy Noonan’s work, her art. And as a commentator during Pope Benedict’s prayerful visit to Ground Zero in New York City April 20, she brought grace to EWTN’s television coverage of that event.

There’s another journalist I want to mention, closer to home, who’s been writing for The Troubadour, Franciscan University of Steubenville’s weekly student newspaper. There are and have been many fine journalists writing for “The Troub,” but many times this semester I’ve found myself thinking about and re-reading an editiorial from the February 14, 2008 edition. In my opinion, it’s “Peggy Noonan-class” Journalism.

The background: On February 10, a popular Franciscan University senior, Amanda Pudvah, died suddenly because of complications from pneumonia. The campus community was shocked. That week’s Troubadour carried front-page stories about Amanda and the events following her death. The main article was written by Elizabeth Ela, editor-in-chief. It is a sensitive article which expressed the thoughts of many people as well as the facts of the story.

But what really struck me was the editorial Elizabeth wrote on page 2. Bear with me as I share perhaps too long an excerpt:

When I accepted the position of editor-in-chief for the Troubadour at the end of last semester, I jokingly told my friends that the job shouldn’t be that hard, as long as nothing dramatic happened on campus – the J.C. [student center] didn’t burn down, scandal didn’t erupt in the administration, etc.

I never thought I’d be calling the parents of one of the first friends I made as a freshman three and a half years ago, to ask them to share their thoughts on their daughter’s sudden death. It never crossed my mind that one Monday afternoon I’d be sitting with my advisor, discussing the hardest article I’ve ever had to write – coverage of the memorial Mass and death of Amanda Pudvah.

I was sitting behind Amanda’s household sisters during the Mass Monday night, and I watched, through blurring vision, the Ladies of Light crying and embracing each other in front of me, their bodies forming a natural frame as they leaned toward each other for a comforting embrace. Through their “frame”, Fr. Richard and Fr. Terry stood behind the altar, rearranging chalices and pouring out the wine before beginning the Eucharistic Prayer. It was a powerful moment, personally. There, a pew ahead of me, was suffering meeting the Sacrament. Profound hurt coming – through tears, but in faith – to the source of tremendous  healing. The journalist in me surged and wished I had a camera to capture the image, while the rest of me – the part of me grieving for my friend and those she left behind – asked, what, Lord, do You want me to take away from this?

I felt so, so empty and inadequate to try to convey the events of the past day, but at the same time, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more strongly called to offer my gifts, even on the smallest scale, to those who would read the paper as they continued to grieve for their daughter, sister and friend.

Elizabeth Ela is one of many Franciscan University communication arts majors who will be graduating next week, each bringing unique abilities and talents to the communications forum. They’ve been a blessing to our lives.

Disclosure: I’ve waited until the end of the semester when grading’s done to write this. Elizabeth and several other Journalism majors have been students in one of my classes this semester. Their work is among the best I see. Dr. Wayne Lewis, our Communication Arts department chair, directs the journalism concentration – nurturing and mentoring wonderful talent. (And I’m not trying to get bonus points from the boss; our performance reviews were finished weeks ago.)

Attention editors and publishers: If you’re looking for some great young journalists, we’ve got them here.

Jim Coyle     

Later in the evening, Tim posted his first YouTube video on his Pope2008.com blog.

And of course Fr. Henry was also interviewed on the CUA campus by our Franciscan University student media crew following Pope Benedict’s talk. The crew is blogging when they can (which is not too often because we’re keeping them busy).

Jim Coyle

But here’s the most unusual attention [we've received about the blog]: Professor Jim Coyle at Franciscan University of Steubenville has been teaching a course on the use of new media in Catholic communications. He assigned students a paper on Pope2008.com’s blog coverage. Then he interviewed Tim, with the students present, and made the interview available as a podcast on his Catholic Media Journal website.

You can read the whole post here, or in the Register’s next issue.

It’s great exploring and experiencing New Media. We can all have a voice in the new media space – and there are many voices calling for our attention. There’s so much we can learn and share, but we have to stay alert as we seek the Truth.

Jim Coyle

We recorded the 25-minute conversation as the first edition of the Catholic Media Journal Podcast and invite you to listen. Just use our player:

Update 3/21/2008: To be an early subscriber to our podcasts, follow this link. 

Catholic Media Journal started in October 2005 as an online diary by Catholic journalists reporting on the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and Louisiana. We’ve re-activated the Journal, planning to take a wider look at communications within and about the Catholic Church. A major event we’re planning to cover is the April visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, looking especially at New Media stories – and the communications technology being used in 2008. I’m anticipating many changes in technology since covering my last Papal Visit – World Youth Day in Denver with Pope John Paul II in 1993. All of it, though, should help tell stories of the Pope’s visit to the United States – more ”up close and personal” than ever before.

Jim Coyle

You’ll be reading more articles about our Catholic Media Tour of the Gulf Coast nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit. The important stories are about people, but the places where they lived, prayed and played have been transformed forever. To share a sense of the places we visited, I produced this short Video Album of images I shot between October 30 and November 4 – nine weeks after Katrina. I invite you to view Album. Make sure your speakers are turned on.

-Jim Coyle

(This online video version posted March 19, 2009, replacing a link to another hosting site)

We were in the Lower Ninth Ward on the last day of our week in Mississippi and south Louisiana to witness first-hand the destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. A small group of Catholic media professionals traveled from New York, Indiana and Ohio to the Mississippi Gulf coast and New Orleans to meet people affected by the storm and get a personal sense of life following Katrina. Each of us felt the need to have a better sense of life in these areas because it was clear to us that critical needs for support will continue for months, and as we found, years to come.

Like people around the world, we’d seen, heard and read news reports of Katrina’s destruction. But nothing prepared us for the scope of devastation we encountered. Our week was a physical and emotional roller coaster, one that I doubt any of us will ever forget, a week that will help us better tell the stories of people and their needs. A week when we witnessed the strength – and the fragility – of the human spirit. A week when we saw God at work in people’s lives through His Church and His people.

Our week began on Monday, October 31, nine weeks after Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and Mississippi. Half an hour after picking up the last member of our group at the Gulfport, MS, airport, we were standing in the midst of a neighborhood that was no more. Every home had been reduced to rubble – piles of wood, shingles, automobiles that had been totally destroyed by a storm surge almost 30 feet high in some areas – as high as a 3-story house. And this scene was repeated over and over as our host took us to different areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Pass Christian, Waveland, Long Beach, Point Cadet, and many, many other areas devastated by Katrina.

There are many areas where structures can be repaired. Water and wind damage wasn’t as strong as in other areas. And there are many homes that received relatively little damage – and from these homes much help and service is being provided.

One of the many things we noticed was the large number of businesses that were closed because of storm damage or the lack of workers who had to leave because their homes were destroyed – or both.

We saw people before and after Mass who asked one another “How are you?” – and really meant it. And people lingered after Mass because it was one the few times many people saw one another since the storm. The parish was a place of community as never before.

Our week included times talking with Church leaders and parish members in Mississippi and Louisiana. We met volunteers and staff members providing services through Catholic Charities and other humanitarian aid organizations. Most importantly, we talked with some of the people affected by the storm.

Was I ready for our visit to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans? I’ve learned this week that I don’t know what would prepare a person for what we’ve seen. It was a humbling experience to ride in a small bus with residents – former residents – who were seeing their neighborhood – and looking for their former homes – for the first, and probably last, time since they were evacuated. Katrina’s devastation was complete. Although we saw many homes built of brick that were still standing, even those are uninhabitable because they sat is 6 to 8 feet of water for several days. Most of the Lower Ninth Ward is pile after pile of rubble, homes leaning into one another – and homes that are completely gone – even the rubble washed away. The ground is dry and hard, cracked, looking like brown alligator skin dried in the sun. We weren’t allowed off the bus, but the driver stopped several times so the displaced residents could see what, if anything, was left of their homes. At one point, it took some of the now-former residents several minutes to even recognize their street, let alone the remnants of their homes.

In all my life, I’ve never seen devastation like I’ve experienced this week along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans. No picture or video I’ve seen or taken can begin to capture the experience of witnessing first-hand the physical destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. We remarked time after time that in many places it was like standing in the midst of Hiroshima, without the radiation. Other areas may not have looked as bad, but were impacted nevertheless.

What must it be like for the people whose homes and work have been wiped out? Hundreds of thousands of people are attempting to cope with loss on an unimaginable scale. Thousands of people are serving them, offering what aid they can.

We can’t see, though, what’s happening inside the people affected by this tragedy. Some are in the midst of grieving, others are still in a state of shock. Most people are trying to cope as best they can with their new way of life. The people being served, and their servants, need our prayers and our generosity. And they need us to remember them, especially during the holidays, and in the months and years to come.

The important stories are the people’s, and those are the stories we’ll be telling in future publications and programs. First, though, we need to acknowledge that seeing the physical destruction has made an everlasting imprint on us. We hope to do justice to the people whose lives have been so profoundly affected.

There’s great strength and love being shown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and I pray this continues. My heart is here and I’m sure I’ll never forget the blessings of experiencing this time and place so affected by Katrina.

Jim Coyle

P.S. On the way home tonight, we flew over a residential neighborhood near the airport in Chicago that was intact – no fallen homes, no debris, no blue tarps covering broken roofs. It honestly looked unusual to me.